The public are being warned of the risks of sky lanterns to wildlife and buildings this festive season.
The National Farmers' Union (NFU) says evidence has shown that the frames of lanterns can harm or even kill farm animals if they are ingested, fields of standing crops and buildings are at significant risk of being set alight, while littering is also a big problem.
The NFU is highlighting the dangers as part of its Love your Countryside campaign.
Last month we reported how a sky lantern ignited a shed in New Waltham.
Retired store owner Harry Doherty, 78, raced out with his garden hose when the blaze started at the rear of his back garden in Anningson Lane.
As neighbours shouted at him to withdraw from the fire and warned him he would be killed, Harry showered water on the fire to protect his own garden shed.
It contained gas bottles and could have caused an explosion.
A number of local authorities have already taken steps to ban the release of lanterns on their land while concerns have also been raised by airports, fire services and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency over the similarity to distress flares.
NFU deputy president Minette Batters said: "We realise that these lanterns can be quite spectacular but our members know only too well how dangerous they can be - they can harm and even kill farm animals, cause fires to crops, grassland on moors and bales of hay and straw that have been stacked, which can lead to a loss of buildings.
"We would urge everyone to back British farming and think twice before setting them alight this New Year and releasing them into the environment.
"The NFU continues to call for an outright ban on the sale of sky lanterns and we will continue to lobby government until action is taken."
