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Councillors in Newport have backed calls to ban the release of helium balloons from public land, over concerns for wildlife and the environment.

The “harrowing reality” of balloon releases was they “end up cluttering the land, rivers and seas” and are mistaken for food by animals, Cllr Yvonne Forsey said, telling colleagues “we cannot in good conscience allow this to continue”.

She added helium is a finite resource with “crucial” uses and, “once depleted, there is no way to create more”.

Cllr Jason Hughes said there are “no safe balloons” and warned the council had a “duty to protect” the environment from pollution.

Despite the general support for the ban, several councillors reminded the meeting that balloon releases were often commemorations of people who had died.

Cllr John Reynolds backed the ban but warned councillors “have to consider the human element”.

Balloon releases usually take place “because of some very traumatic experience”, he said. “We need to bear that in mind. We don’t want to demonise people or the thoughts behind it. But there are alternatives.”

Cllr Will Routley told the meeting, on Tuesday, he had once taken part in a “massive release of helium balloons” in the city’s Beechwood Park, in memory of his late grandson.

“Time has moved on and we’ve become more educated,” he said. “We’re becoming more aware of the damage we can inflict on wildlife. 

“As we become more responsibly educated we will find responsible alternatives to not release balloons in public places like we have done in the past.”

He and several Conservative colleagues said they backed the council’s proposal for balloons and suggested the move should go further and include a ban on fireworks.

“The amount of traumatic stress that has on all animals is unbelievable,” Cllr Routley said.

Cllr Laura Lacey said balloon releases were typically a “deeply personal and symbolic act”.

She said the council “doesn’t want to stop that – it wants to provide more sustainable ways for that to happen on council land”. 

Alternative ways to commemorate loved ones could involve bubbles, flower petals or tree-planting, added Cllr Lacey.