Plans to hold a major lantern festival near Maidstone have been slammed as "dangerous" by residents.

Shine Up Fest will see hundreds of biodegradable Chinese lanterns released into the night sky over Kent Showground in September.

But the celebration, which is selling tickets costing up to £60, has attracted criticism from people living nearby who are worried about the risk of fires and harm to livestock.

At the time of writing around 360 people have signed a petition calling for Shine Up to be axed.

Among them is Kathryn Tennant. She said: "I live in Detling village with my two horses and numerous livestock. I am horrified that this event will be allowed, not only because of a lack of consideration to health and safety but also due to the extreme levels of dangerous litter left around."

Donna Shead, from Maidstone said: "I live on outskirts of Maidstone and have small holding including sheep and 8 horses. I have hay barns and have personal experience how devastating a single spark of fire can be to ignite hay and bedding."

Elizabeth Graves, from Ryarsh, added:"This is a ridiculous idea - it's basically releasing something made of paper and on fire into the air with no knowledge of where it might land- animals are injured every year by these devices: either being burned or ingesting the metal frames and having to be euthanised.

"To release 'thousands' of them in September when the fields are full of dry crops is unbelievable."

As well as a lantern release, Shine Up Fest includes live music, food, drink and entertainment.

On their website the festival organisers say their lanterns are completely biodegradable and will be collected by litter pickers after the event finishes.

Posting on their Facebook page, they said: "We have a highly experienced event crew that includes our safety management, team. We have decades of experience of putting on successful events including large-scale public firework displays.

"Our lanterns are designed to land 1/4 mile from the launch zone. We monitor the weather and only release in the right conditions. This gives us predictable flight patterns and a manageable landing zone."

Around 200,000 lanterns are sold each year in their UK. Their usage is opposed by the RSPCA and the CLA, an organisation representing landowners and farmers.

However, research for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) suggests the risk to livestock and horses by lanterns is low.

However, its says they could pose a significant fire risk to agricultural crops, buildings and moorland.

To view the petition, click here.