Some frisbees could be banned from UK beaches because they are a threat to wildlife.
Ring frisbees may go a bit further and faster, but they are a nightmare for curious seals that get trapped in them leading to wounds, infections and being slowly strangled to death.
Now Vale of Glamorgan Council, in south Wales, is backing a ban of the toys along the coast.
Vale of Glamorgan council said it is voluntarily banning the toys which, when discarded on beaches, can be gathered up by the sea and then find themselves around the neck of a seal, often leaving them unable to escape.
The frisbees can lead to permanent wounds and infections as the seals grow larger, with many dying from suffocation.
Councillor Michael Morgan called the plastic toys a ‘really horrible threat to wildlife in our seas’.
He told a council meeting: ‘It’s a specific thing these rings. The problem with them is that they don’t float. They are dangerous to life in our seas.’
Bringing the motion before the council, Cllr Carys Stallard said: ‘I recognise this is but a small step, a first step, but I hope it will be a significant step that will encourage us all to think about the plastics that we buy.’
She added that the plastic items were so cheap to buy that they are deemed disposable by the end of the day and end up in the sea.
Vale of Glamorgan councillors also supported a move to set up a task force to establish what powers the council, such as by-laws, to curb the use of the ringed toys.
However some residents felt the move ignored other more pressing issues, including the dumping of raw sewage in waterways.
Rob Howell said: ‘The council want to ban these because of dangers to marine life. Yet they do not speak out about raw sewage being dumped on beaches and in rivers, which is a bigger threat to marine life.’
Wildlife campaigner Jennifer Hobson started a petition to Parliament to ban flying rings and aerobic ringed frisbees after she spotted the worrying trend.
She told Metro: ‘They are very curious, particularly the grey seals. When they play they learn their healthy instincts. They sometimes put their heads through.
‘Most aren’t rescued because it’s very difficult to collect a wild seal.’
She added: ‘Only when you cut off the ring can you the deepness of the wounds be seen. They [the rings] dig deeply into the neck. It’s highly distressing.’
Last year, Swansea council became the first to back a move to ban the toys.
Campaigners have called on the Government to ban the sale and import of the flying rings and encourage holidaymakers to use non-plastic solid disc frisbees instead.
Several retailers, including Asda, Sainsburys and Halfords have already removed the toys from shelves at coastal stores.
Other councils across the UK to have backed a ban on ring frisbees include King’s Lynn, West Norfolk and Tiverton in Devon.
According to the UK Seal Alliance, the cost of rehabilitating a seal wounded by a ring frisbee in a wildlife hospital can mount up to £15,000 per animal.
In an online petition launched this week, it said: ‘These rings are potential toys to curious seals. A few moments of natural curiosity will soon turn into a nightmare when they become entangled around their necks.
‘As seals grow, the rings tighten causing infection, unnecessary pain, suffering and often death.’
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