NEW Forest organisations have united in a bid to persuade local people to think twice before using popular flying lanterns.

Groups including the New Forest Equestrian Association (NFEA), Commoners Defence Association (CDA), Hampshire Fire and Rescue and The Forestry Commission have added their voice to the argument calling for people to be alert to the dangers the lanterns pose.

The lanterns, constructed from paper stretched over a wire frame, contain a wax candle that enables the lantern to fly for up to 20 minutes.

Fiona Macdonald, chairman of the NFEA, said: “The risks within the New Forest area are particularly high because there are so many typical smallholdings with hay barns and timber and thatched outbuildings, close to New Forest towns and villages.”

Graham Ferris from the CDA added: “The wire remains of these lanterns are now turning up on the open forest. This puts commoners’ livestock at serious risk, needlessly adding to the risks that they already face.”

It is these risks and the fact that the lanterns have already killed livestock elsewhere that has also led the National Farmers’ Union to call recently for a complete ban on the lanterns and the Forestry Commission to raise an alert.

A spokesperson for the Forestry Commission said: “Chinese-style flying lanterns are obviously very attractive and becoming ever popular.

“However, the risk to heathland habitats in an area like the New Forest is extremely high as they can land or catch on something while still burning.

“The current extreme dry weather accentuates this.”