Balloons

It is Rochford District Council policy not to allow mass balloon releases from any Council premises or land. This is in an effort to reduce litter when balloons float back to earth and due to the potentially lethal effect that this litter has on wildlife, both land and water based.

This policy was introduced after the Council was contacted by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) asking that the Council consider either a byelaw or voluntary ban prohibiting such releases.

The Marine Conservation Society campaign is supported by the RSPCA, RSPB, the National Farmers Union and ENCAMS, the environmental Charity that runs the Keep Britain Tidy Campaign.

This ban extends only to Rochford District Council premises or land and only covers mass balloon releases, which can have consequences locally and many miles away from where the balloons were originally released.

The Council is not against people having fun with balloons in a responsible manner, indeed, the Marine Conservation Society offer alternative suggestions for using balloons in a fun wildlife friendly manner which can be viewed in the related links below.