PEOPLE are being warned to avoid using “dangerous” Chinese lanterns as part of their New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The flying lanterns are usually made of paper and wire and have become synonymous with the New Year’s Eve skyline.

But Blackrod Town councillor and former farmer Graham Farrington has been campaigning for a ban on them because of the damage they can cause.

In July, a lantern sparked a huge fire in the West Midlands which saw 100,000 tonnes of plastic recycling material go up in flames, causing £6 million of damage.

Cllr Farrington said: “I would just ask people who are thinking of using them on New Year’s Eve to think again. We aren’t being spoil sports, but we have seen what can happen with fires and then there is the danger to livestock as well.

“When the lanterns come down, the wire can get chopped up and get into the animals’ food, which will cause them to bleed to death from the inside. I don’t think everyone is aware of the dangers. The only way to sort this issue is to ban them.”

Bolton West MP Julie Hilling has raised the issue of banning Chinese lanterns in the House of Commons, but said she is yet to hear back from the Government.

She added: “I recognise they are beautiful, but they pose too much of a risk to people and livestock. So far the Government has been silent on this issue.”