Bid to ban mass balloon releases

Campaigners are demanding mass balloon releases are outlawed after dozens were found floating in the English Channel.

The balloons, made from aluminium foil and latex, are a menace to sea life.

The conservation charity Marine Life alone has found 46 balloons in the Channel since January, with 31 spotted on a single journey from Santander, Spain, to Southampton, Hants.

A petition to ban balloon and sky lantern releases was launched in March, and received more than 50,000 signatures.

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) has started a “Don’t Let Go” campaign as it tries to persuade more councils to ban the release of balloons and sky lanterns on their land.

As of March 2017, more than 50 UK local authorities had agreed to implement the ban. The MCS says it wants to see all intentional balloon releases stopped.