AS SHROPSHIRE and the rest of the UK get ready to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, people have been reminded not to release sky lanterns or balloons.

Shropshire Council has reminded people that balloons and lanterns can be harmful to livestock, causing serious injury or death.

Lanterns can also be a significant fire risk.

Councillor Ian Nellins, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for climate change, natural assets and the green economy, called on people to be mindful.

He added: "We certainly don’t want to dampen people’s spirits, especially as we celebrate the milestone event of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee over the extended Bank Holiday Weekend, but we must also be mindful of the environmental impact of our celebrations.

"These items may well look pretty when they float off into the sky, but when the debris lands in our countryside and is eaten by animals and livestock they can cause real problems.

"I know that some people will be tempted to buy them and set them off, but I would urge them not to.

"The use of sky lanterns on Shropshire Council-owned land was banned several years ago, and Shropshire Council voted in February this year for the Government to classify the release of sky lanterns and balloons as littering and therefore a criminal offence."

Campaigners estimate up to 200,000 sky lanterns are released in the UK every years and warn they can start wildfires, kill animals, destroy food growing in fields and set buildings alight.

Over the past five years, on average three balloons per 100 million have been found during the Great British Beach Clean.

Animals, including livestock, can be injured through indigestion, entanglement and entrapment.

They can also get tangled up in balloon ribbons and string, restricting their movements and ability to eat.