Chinese lanterns are being confused with distress flares across the Dee Estuary and River Mersey

Aug 12 2009 by Carrie Catterall, Bromborough and Bebington News

CHINESE lanterns being set off over the Dee Estuary and River Mersey are causing coastguards serious concern.

People are confusing the lanterns with distress flares – causing emergency calls to the coastguard to increase.

The lanterns can rise 10,000ft and travel up to 40 miles.

A report of numerous lights over the rivers was reported on Friday night after lanterns were released.

Whenever coastguards receive calls like this they must go out and investigate in case it is a distress flare and somebody is in trouble at sea.

Liverpool Coastguard watch assistant Bart Lubecki said: “When we receive a flare report, we always have to investigate properly as in the midst of the Chinese lanterns there could be a genuine distress.

“Over the last 18 months these types of calls have become a lot more regular and we are getting 999 calls every few days, which is becoming a real problem.

“Each time, we have to send out the coastguard rescue team and call the ships on the river.

“This involves getting people out of bed in the middle of the night for a few hours, using money for petrol and equipment and also using a team of people who are then occupied if another genuine distress call is logged.”

The team who investigate these calls are all volunteers and they are being called out more and more for false alarms.

One way to stop this is to let the coastguard know when and where you are setting off Chinese lanterns.

Bart said: “It helps us a lot if we know they are being let off.

“People may also be able to tell the difference between a lantern and flare if they watch how it moves.

“Chinese lanterns float upwards, but distress flares, float in one spot and descend, as they don’t light up when they are fired.

“A description of how the light moves sometimes helps us know what we are dealing with if people call us.”

The lanterns are believed to have been first used to send signals in ancient Chinese battles.

Now they have become associated with celebrations.

Made of rice paper, the lanterns are carried into the sky by hot air from a candle inside.

In addition to being mistaken for distress flares, the lanterns have also led to a spate of reports of UFO sightings.

If you are letting off Chinese lanterns call Liverpool Coastguard on 0151 931 3341.