Harrogate residents issued with urgent warning not to release sky lanterns or balloons

Here is an updated list of Harrogate businesses offering takeaway food and drink during lockdown

Drew Birtwistle from Harrogate Riding Centre is pleading with people to reconsider their 'thank you NHS' props during the 'Clap for Carers' due to the dangers they can pose to animals, outbuildings and farmland.

He has told the Harrogate Advertiser of the devastating night 18 months ago when a horse got a balloon caught in its mouth and tragically died.

He said: "We had a horrific event in the recent past where a balloon from a mass release drifted over to the centre and the cord got stuck in one of our horse's mouths.

"He panicked, bolted and ended up seriously injuring himself and passing away. It was absolutely horrendous.

"We have seen a massive increase in items like sky lanterns and balloons landing in our area which can be a nightmare for the safety of our animals, as well as the buildings like barns and stables."

Drew says the effects of these items can be "brutal", leading to fires as well as leaving dangerous waste which animals can be injured by.

Following the incident, the centre has been involved in a campaign to raise awareness around using lanterns and balloons and the damage these can cause.

He added: "Due to the lockdown and our working hours and activities changing, we are currently doing our last checks on the horses at around 6pm or 7pm - so we want to do everything we can to keep them safe during the times we're not there.

"All of our stables are made from wood and they go up so quickly - we had a fire here in 2008 and the speed it spread at was just incredible."

Drew has also warned of the wire inside sky lanterns which does not decompose and can end up in the horses' food.

"People don't realise there is wire inside the paper. When the paper rots the wire doesn't and it is harder to spot on the land so it can end up in middle of a bale of hay and we can end up feeding it to our animals," he said.

It comes after police across Yorkshire issued warnings on social media last week, asking people to consider the risks of using sky lanterns which could cause a "signifcant fire" and asking people to instead show their support for our amazing carers by staying at home.

Fran's army of sewers create 'scrubs' for Harrogate Hospital frontline staff

Drew added: "Obviously it is a lovely gesture but there are just too many dangerous consequences. It is a recipe for disaster."

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world. But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper.

Thank you.