British lawmaker launches bid to outlaw sky lanterns

LONDON, March 27 (Xinhua) -- A new law to outlaw Sky Lanterns being flown in Britain was put before the House of Commons Wednesday by politician Ruth George.

George, a Labour MP representing one of the most scenic parts of England, the Peak Forest, put forward a parliamentary bill to make it an offence to use a Sky Lantern.

She told MPs that last summer when a spate of wildfire raged around the moorland of High Peak area during a heat wave, she was shocked to discover that an American company was promoting a Sky Lantern festival at a venue on the moors above Buxton.

"A Sky Lantern comprises a paper Lantern and a candle, and this company was selling tickets for thousands of people to release naked flames across the tinder-dry moors," she said.

At the same time firefighters, park rangers, farmers, gamekeepers British troops were battling dozens of moorland fires, putting their own safety at risk

The politician added: "It is not just on dry moorland that Sky Lanterns are a problem. They have caused significant fires in recent years, most notably one fire in 2013 where more than 200 firefighters tackled a fire in a tire depot that lasted for three days, causing 6 million pounds worth of damage."

She said had it not been for closed circuit television capturing the sight of a Sky Lantern descending on the tires, it would not have been known that that was almost certainly the cause of the inferno.

The debate heard that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Welsh Government said in a report that when airborne, Sky Lanterns pose a safety risk to aviation due to possible ingestion into engines.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) which controls Britain's air space, said that 48 reported incidents between 2011 and 2012 were due to Sky Lanterns and helium balloons.

Farmers and animal welfare charities are also concerned about the injuries caused to animals by Sky Lanterns, which can result in a long and painful death.

George said more than 200,000 Sky Lanterns are sold each year in Britain.

Her bill will return to the British parliament early April as part of the law making procedure. Enditem