MEMBERS of the public in the Isle of Man are being warned of the potential dangers of setting off Chinese lanterns.
The Office of Fair Trading, Fire and Rescue Service and Coastguard Service have advised the public not to use the lanterns despite the fact they are available to buy here.
They say the lanterns can cause fires, waste police time, be mistaken for distress flares, mislead aircraft and even kill livestock.
Peter Killey, sub officer for Isle of Man Fire and Rescue's community safety team, said: "No one wants to be a killjoy but the Isle of Man Fire and Rescue Service is very concerned that before long we are going to have a serious incident caused by these lanterns.
"Whether this is a property fire, a fire in the countryside, personal injury or injury to wildlife and livestock - the more these lanterns are used the more likely it is that an incident will occur.
"Public safety is of paramount importance to our service and therefore we do not support the use of these Chinese or sky lanterns and ask members of the public and event organisers to refrain from using them."
Chinese lanterns have become increasingly popular and are used by many to mark special occasions. They are generally made of paper supported by a wire frame and powered by a solid fuel burner. Once lit the lanterns float into the sky and then drift back down to earth when the fuel runs out.
John Peet, the chief trading standards officer in the Isle of Man, said: "Safety instructions for the use of these lanterns are complex.
"Amongst other things they require the user to assess wind conditions, ensure their clothing is not flammable, not to release the lanterns within a certain distance of a major road or an airport, not to use the lanterns if there is any damage to the delicate paper shell or the frame, not to use the lantern anywhere where its glow could be confused with a distress signal.
"All of these conditions need to be taken seriously to ensure the safety of the user, other people, animals, property and the countryside. Our advice would be to avoid these products."
Over the last year the Isle of Man Coastguard Service has worked with a number of suppliers who sell the lanterns to add an advice sticker onto the packaging.
The sticker requests that people call the Marine Operations Centre on 01624 686628 before releasing lanterns to let the centre know where, when and how many lanterns are being released.
David Callister MLC, political member for the Department of Infrastructure, explained: "These lanterns can be confused with distress flares used to signal emergencies at sea.
"This in the past has led to coastguard teams being called out to investigate which can be very time consuming and costly.
"To try and reduce this problem Isle of Man Coastguard has over the last year, and in partnership with several Isle of Man suppliers, issued coastguard advice in the form of a sticker on the lanterns packaging.
"This initiative has been very successful with a marked decrease in call outs for lantern related incidents and our thanks go to those people who have taken the time to call the Marine Operations Centre prior to releasing their lanterns.
"I would however still strongly advise the public that if they see an object they suspect as being a distress flare to call 999 and ask for the coastguard."
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