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Council backs flying ring frisbee ban

Monday, 28 April 2025 18:59

By Ted Peskett - Local Democracy Reporter X @TedPeskettNews

Vale of Glamorgan Council has backed a ban of a popular type of frisbee in a bid to protect marine wildlife.

Last October, Swansea Council announced that it would support schools and businesses to introduce a ban of ‘flying ring’ frisbees on beaches.

A motion, put forward by the Labour group at a full council meeting on Monday night called for a voluntary ban on the sale and use of the ring shaped frisbee across the Vale.

St Brides Major Cllr Carys Stallard, one of two councillors who put forward the motion, said: “It [the toy] is so cheap to buy at the shops along our coast that they are often deemed disposable after a day on the beach and end up washed out to sea.”

A number of wildlife groups across the UK have called for a ban on the sale and use of flying ring frisbees for years, with images showing plastic rings stuck around the necks of seals widely shared online.

The motion noted that some shops in the Vale as well as some chain stores have already decided to stop selling the plastic toy.

Cllr Stallard said volunteers, like those at the Gower Seal Group, are able to save some seals who have plastic rings stuck around their necks, but added it can cost thousands of pounds to restore the animals to full health.

She addded: "The answer is very simple. We can ask...visitors to our rivers and beaches to simply refrain from buying these toys and instead to buy the old fashioned solid frisbees."

The motion, which was eventually voted through with an amendment by the Plaid Cymru group, means Vale of Glamorgan Council will promote a voluntary ban on the sale of flying ring frisbees and encourage shops to sell alternatives.

It will also write to the Welsh and UK governments in support of the ban and promote the campaign through its media channels.

Dyfan ward councillor Emma Goodjohn, seconding the motion, said: “Plastic pollution is a big problem in our seas and this particular piece of plastic…is known to kill marine mammals.”

She added: “Supporting this motion will hopefully bring about change in the public conciousness, making us all think twice about the plastic things we buy, benefiting future generations as well as our own.”

Plaid Cymru’s amendment called for the option of a task and finish group to be set up in order for the council to look at what powers it has in using by-laws to effectively promote the aims of the motion.

Baruc ward Cllr Steffan Wiliam said the motion could be a starting point for tackling the problem litter on beaches.

He told the meeting: “Glass and other discarded materials are a huge problem as well as these flying rings and we have to address this."

“A dialogue with traders can lead to getting some alternative suggestions from them that we perhaps haven’t thought about before that could be useful and beneficial to everybody."

“We should investigate the feasibility as well of distributing bags to people to collect their waste as they come to our beaches.”

Similar frisbee bans have been supported by other UK councils, including King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Council and Tiverton Town Council in Devon.

The Cornish Seal Sanctuary said it's among a number of wildlife groups have seen many casualties due to the issue of flying ring frisbees.

Their website states that young seals will explore the plastic toy if it has been discarded in the sea, leading to the animal becoming entangled in it.

With the rings stuck over the heads of the seals, they can suffer “terrible injuries” later on as they grow.

The group added that unless the animals are rescued, their entanglement usually leads to their premature death.

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