A homeowner whose property was damaged by a fire caused by a stray sky lantern said a ban on the devices should be considered.

A lantern landed on a flat roof underneath a bedroom window at a house in Beech Tree Road, Holmer Green, in the early hours of New Year's Day.

It then caught fire after landing. Although the flames were swiftly put out, homeowner David Cook said the situation could have been much worse.

He said: “My concern is if we hadn't been there, who knows what would have happened?

“These lanterns are dangerous in this type of environment. If someone lights one in a field, they can land anywhere.

“There are several sheds in gardens along the road, there's allotments with sheds in - any of them could have been damaged.

“There's a lot of call for them to be banned. Farmers don't like them because their animals can ingest the lanterns sometimes.

“Would I ban them totally? It might be that's the only way. If people let them off in a controlled manner, maybe that's alright, but I think they are dangerous.”

Mr Cook's daughter Naomi raised the alarm after spotting flames at the window at about 1am, with the family able to extinguish the fire using glasses of water from inside the house.

The family then contacted Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service the following day about the incident, with an emergency crew arriving at their home to log the details.

Mr Cook said: “I felt it was important to tell the fire brigade - they should be aware these lanterns are still being let off in unsuitable locations.

“We think the lantern hit the window and landed on the flat roof just below the window. Because it landed the lantern caught fire.

“My daughter saw flames at her window and she screamed 'there's a fire on the roof'. Because it was on the roof we were able to throw water on it to put it out.”

Neil Boustred, head of Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service’s community safety team, said: “You can’t control the direction they take or where they will land.

“There is no guarantee that the fuel source will be fully extinguished and cooled when the lantern lands, and that’s a real fire hazard.”

He said unsuitable locations for flying lanterns included areas near telephone and power lines, areas near standing crops, anywhere near buildings with thatched roofs, areas of dense woodland and areas of heath or bracken.

On New Year’s Eve 2011, a stray flying lantern set fire to a car in Chalfont St Giles after landing next to it and being blown underneath.

The same fire crew was dispatched 40 minutes later to tackle a fire in Gerrards Cross after a lantern had become caught up in a tree.

As well as being a potential fire hazard, the lanterns often contain wire which can kill or injure animals, damage farm machinery or end up in animal feed.

In 2011, the BFP reported on Lane End farmer Will Lacey’s call to ban the lanterns after three of his cows suffered agonising deaths when they digested metal wire from lanterns which landed on the farm.