Fire crews have warned against using sky lanterns at New Year's Eve parties.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is supporting a call to ban the lanterns.

While Chinese (sky) lanterns have long been popular for celebrations and memorials, the fire service actively discourages their use due to them being both a fire hazard and a danger to wildlife, pets and people.

The danger is there is no way for the user to know how far the lantern will travel, for how long, and where it will end up.

There is also no guarantee that the paper outer is fire retardant, or that the fuel cell will be fully extinguished and cooled when the lantern does descend, increasing the chances of a fire developing if it comes into contact with a combustible surface.

A spokesman for the service said: "While sky lanterns may look pretty while celebrating events like New Year's Eve, they can also cause fires which endanger countryside and property.

"We support the call to #BanSkyLanterns and ask you not to use them."