Calls for a nationwide ban on sky lanterns have intensified in England as wildfire risks rise during the ongoing heatwave. Nigel Barnes, an arable farmer near Flitwick in Bedfordshire, found a sky lantern in a hedge by his driveway this week, narrowly avoiding a potential fire. These open-flame devices can drift beyond a user’s control and land in vegetation, farmland, buildings or areas used by livestock. With fields and vegetation tinder-dry, even a small ember or burning fuel cell can ignite combustible material.
Barnes has previously suffered crop damage from lantern-related fires, including an incident in which several square metres of his fields burned after a wedding celebration. He is backing the National Farmers Union (NFU) campaign for a government-imposed ban on sky lanterns across England and Wales. Barnes says the devices endanger crops and livestock, putting businesses at risk and threatening local communities. He has urged the public to reconsider using them because they could trigger devastating blazes.
More than 200 local councils, including Central Bedfordshire and Bedford Borough Council, have already banned sky lanterns on their own land. Those local restrictions do not automatically cover private property or every public space. National wildfire-prevention guidance reproduced by Prepare Britain, citing GOV.UK Prepare and the National Fire Chiefs Council, takes a precautionary approach: “Never release sky lanterns.” It also advises people not to light fires in the countryside or other open spaces. This is public advice, not a nationwide statutory ban in England and Wales. A national prohibition would require a separate government decision. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has been approached for comment on the proposed ban.
Fire and rescue services across the region have renewed warnings as the Met Office’s Fire Severity Index rates Bedfordshire as “very high.” Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service stressed that even minor sparks or embers could trigger large-scale wildfires in current conditions. In neighbouring Hertfordshire, fire crews faced difficult conditions over the weekend as they tackled impressive wildfires in Croxley Green, Hoddesdon and Harpenden. Authorities are urging residents to dispose of cigarettes safely, avoid leaving glass bottles outdoors, and refrain from lighting campfires or bonfires. Woburn firefighters recently responded to a blaze in Aspley Woods that spread from an unattended campfire.
The wider wildfire threat has also reached Parliament. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee described wildfires as the UK’s “new reality” and called for a national prevention campaign, firefighting aircraft and tighter controls on high-risk activities. It said disposable barbecues, campfires and discarded cigarettes should become “socially unacceptable” during periods of elevated fire risk. The committee’s report also cited a Stoke-on-Trent fire that destroyed four homes and was blamed on a disposable barbecue. It also mentioned a major blaze in Macclesfield, Cheshire, thought to have been caused by one.
Southern, basic and eastern parts of England are approaching drought status, prompting Thames Water to announce a hosepipe ban for all customers starting Thursday. Prolonged dry weather and high temperatures have left the countryside especially vulnerable to fires. The parliamentary committee also criticised the timing of temporary restrictions on disposable-barbecue sales during a heatwave, saying the action should have come sooner. Barbecues and lanterns are different products, but both are portable outdoor ignition sources. That puts prevention and public behaviour at the centre of the debate.
Concerns about fire safety and public behaviour during extreme weather have also surfaced elsewhere. Recent analysis from specialists in Spain, for example, highlighted how certain habits can inadvertently increase risks or costs during heatwaves. It points to the broader effects of weather-related challenges across Europe.
Sky lanterns, also known as Chinese lanterns, are small hot-air balloons made of paper, with an open flame at the base. Often used for celebrations, their unpredictable flight paths and potential to ignite dry vegetation have prompted growing calls for stricter regulation or outright bans in several countries. In the UK, the NFU continues to lobby for comprehensive legislation, arguing that voluntary measures are insufficient to protect rural areas during periods of extreme heat and drought.
