Flintshire council set to consider sky lantern ban

The leader of Flintshire County Council has said members of the Cabinet will consider a report on the banning of sky lanterns from council land at their next meeting later this month.

The move comes after RSPCA Cymru revelaed Flintshire is one of only two councils in Wales not to ban the use of lanterns on their land.

In an update on social media council leader, Cllr Aaron Shotton said he will be supporting the RSPCA Cymru campaign asking councils in Wales to impose a voluntary ban.

Paul Smith, RSPCA Cymru Public Affairs Manager, said:

“It’s been heartening to see the number of local authorities banning the release of sky lanterns on their land increase significantly in recent weeks.

“Wrexham, Newport and Swansea are all recent additions to the #NoFlyZone across Wales – and we’re delighted to hear that Flintshire are set to discuss the issue at their cabinet meeting in December, and that the Council’s leader has voiced support for our campaign.

“Put simply, sky lanterns can have fatal consequences for animals, and are a major hazard – for public safety and animal welfare. Locally-led bans on council land make a vital statement about their dangers, and are an important way to spread the message about the risk lanterns pose.

“We now need to see action from Merthyr Council, who are set to become the only local authority in Wales not to have acted on these deadly devices. We hope they will soon follow their neighbouring councils and act, in the interests of animals and their welfare.”