'Sky lantern came down and burst into flames!' - Your Letters: January 9

LANTERNS AREN'T A BRIGHT IDEA

A reminder to readers that about two thirds of councils in England and Wales have banned sky lanterns, including Shropshire, and Telford & Wrekin, for a reason.

Late on New Year’s Day I went into my dark kitchen and found the window full of the pulsing orange light that means fire… and fire close by. I shot outside and discovered that a sky lantern had come down into the narrow gap between my house and shed, tipped sideways, wedged, and burst into flames. I knocked it to the ground and stamped it out, and the only damage was a sooty mark. I was lucky, but that was pure chance. I was in, and I happened to decide to do the drying-up at the perfect moment.

Please remember that your cute end to a celebration may be somebody else’s disaster an hour or so down-wind.

H Bird, Mountfields

OUR MPs HAVE A DIFFERENT REALITY