Bristol City Council says releasing sky lanterns could bring a criminal record

Bristol City Council says people who set off sky lanterns in the city's parks could end up with a criminal record.

The Council says releasing the floating lanterns is against its parks' bylaws and can have a devastating impact on wildlife by starting fires.

In June, Gloucester City Council agreed to ban the release of Chinese lanterns and balloons in their council-owned parks.

Fresh calls are now being made to introduce a similar ban in Bristol.

The RSPCA says sky lanterns can endanger animals in several ways once they return to Earth:

• Birds and other wildlife can become tangled in the wire frames of lanterns

• Wildlife can eat parts of lanterns, causing internal injuries

• Marine life can be endangered by lanterns falling into the sea

• Lanterns can cause fires, which destroy habitats and set animal housing, feed and bedding alight