WHAT goes up must come down is the message highlighting the irresponsible release of balloons and Chinese lanterns.

With irrefutable evidence that plastics clutter our countryside, oceans and beaches, litter surveys show that the number of balloons and balloon pieces found on UK beaches has tripled in the last 10 years. At least 10% of released balloons don’t burst and float back down to earth where they pose a serious threat to wildlife.

Stephen Wyrill is a former National Chair of the Tennant Farmers Association and now Regional Chair; he is an outspoken critic of the practice. He said: “Balloons get everywhere and are a real nuisance, they get stuck in hedges, trees and get mixed up in growing crops then harvested.

“My bug bear with releasing balloons and Chinese lanterns is whilst it is probably great fun when releasing but it’s when they have run out of steam they land in cattle grazing fields.

“Then they start investigating and get spooked, but worse still on Chinese lanterns the wire frame rusts and breaks down; then the trouble starts. The wire is small and when they eat their grass and bits of wire get stuck in their stomachs, abscesses start, wire moves creating a lot of pain for the animal but when it moves it gets stuck again and abscesses

“It keeps going until they die or are put out their misery as vets can’t do anything for them.

“It is as bad as dropping litter, offenders should be a fined.”

His views are backed up by Brian Moreland a respected conservationist who runs Bellflask Fisheries and a private nature reserve on the River Ure. He regularly sees evidence of balloon releases often finding up to a dozen at a time floating in the lake, on the grass or in trees from fetes or shop openings or from some sort of anniversary.

He said: “I think it is quite pointless; as regards littering it is minor compared to throwing things from cars such as fast food or other litter. However there are better ways of remembering someone.

“Chinese lanterns are in my view also a dangerous nuisance; the metal in them can cause injury or death to animals, if they ingest it. Or potentially they can set fire to something.

“We once found a balloon from Manchester in a badger set 6 months after it had been released.”

Mass balloon releases have already been banned by several local authorities in the UK, USA and Australia. The RSPCA receive a call every two hours about animals injured by litter.

Tony Crease the founder of Foxglove Cover Nature Reserve is another highly-respected ecologist. He also condemns balloon releases as littering. He explained “I wouldn’t have a problem with these things from an ecological standpoint. All over the country there are huge piles of rubbish everywhere that are completely ignored by wildlife – in some areas of the continent it is 100 times worse.

“From a litter point of view I am completely against them and they disfigure the countryside unnecessarily. They also reach the sea where they just add to the morass of rubbish that sea creatures swallow.”

Even biodegradable latex balloons are a danger as they can take several months or even years to break down.

Horse trainer Mark Johnson says the problem is a no-brainer. “Totally irresponsible, to say the least, like all littering.

“I can’t understand why some local authorities pull people up for discarding harmless vegetation like apple cores but do nothing about balloons, McDonald’s wrappers and debris thrown from cars.”

Releasing a Chinese lantern or balloon into the air is considered littering and would be liable to a fixed penalty notice of £80 or a fine if prosecuted.