Farmers in alert over flying lanterns

For farmers, however, Chinese flying lanterns can prove a serious problem, having been linked to fires and dead livestock.

Effectively small-scale hot air balloons, the lanterns are typically made from paper and wire.

When a lighted candle is placed inside they begin to rise, sometimes as high as one mile, and can remain airborne for up to 20 minutes.

But the wire used to form the lantern's skeleton has been known to injure and even kill animals that eat them after they fall to earth, while arable farmers fear the impact the lanterns can have if they land on crops.

In December a prize-winning pedigree cow was killed by a lantern in Cheshire.

While not calling for an outright ban, the National Farmers' Union has written to Defra expressing concerns over their use. Governments in Australia and Germany have banned them.

A spokesman for the NFU said: "The worries are compounded because the lanterns are often released in large numbers, can fly for 20 minutes at up to a mile high and can be very difficult to trace."

In response to the concerns of farmers many manufacturers have begun producing the lanterns without the wire structures to minimise the threat to livestock. Harrogate-based retailer Night Sky Lanterns issues clear instructions on its website advising users to not launch lanterns near property, trees or farm land.

It also warns users that inappropriate use can lead to charges of criminal damage if any person or property is damaged by their use.

The lanterns' use dates back to as early as the third century when they were used in warfare as signalling balloons. Today their use is more ceremonial, often used in festivals and celebrations.