National Campaign for Firework Safety
Our aim is to promote the safe use of  fireworks


The Nottingham Evening Post

The Post's campaign
The 'Be Safe Not Sorry' campaign was launched after the Post was inundated with letters from readers saying they were fed up with the noise, nuisance and the distress to pets that fireworks cause.

Notts county councillors John Clarke and Graham Jackson, who respectively chair the Notts police and fire authorities, held a public consultation to gauge public opinions.

Tom Munn and his father, Graham, from Worcester, launched our campaign after the 12-year-old was temporarily blinded when a firework exploded in his face.

The campaign quickly gained the backing of several Notts MPs, including Broxtowe's Nick Palmer, who vowed to bring it to Parliament.

City councillors have also discussed a by-law for Nottingham restricting the times when fireworks can be set off as well as the location of firework displays and the period of time in which they can be bought.

Erewash is also holding discussions with Derbyshire County Council as to what it can do to increase the fines given out to those who break firework regulations - as well as refusing licenses to retailers who sell to underage youngsters.

Letters to the Nottingham Evening Post

All this village trouble and fireworks as well

Having read about your campaign on fireworks, I would like to say how much I am in favour.
We have just been exposed to at least five weeks of fireworks set of in East Leake village centre night after  night, leaving not only myself and my husband nervous wrecks, but our poor dog as well.
Living right in the centre of the village, we experienced fireworks set off in the telephone booth, in wastepaper bins right outside our window, and in any small enclosed area to cause the loudest explosion.  On one occasion a firework thrown across the road narrowly missed a small boy who was getting out of the car with his dad.
I only hope you can muster enough support to get this proposal put through Government because another year like this one will result in some serious accidents.  There is enough vandalism and bad social behaviour going on without fireworks.  In East Leake we experience it every Friday and Saturday night with gangs of youths gathering to cause trouble in the centre.  Nothing a regular police patrol wouldn't put right though, but that's another story.
K K, East Leake

Let's have a compromise
I am writing in response to the articles regarding firework safety.  I think for some reason we are getting out of hand.
You say you show a balanced view on the subject but I feel we have slightly lost the plot.  Firework are not the issue - but the thugs who throw them are.
A few years ago the public could not buy 'display fireworks' and since their arrival we have had problems.
How about a sensible compromise to the problem? Instead of banning all fireworks, what if we banned explosive air bombs and the like.  We could go back to the days when only garden fireworks were available, along with sensible sized rockets? I have grown up (along with millions of children) with a nice family display in the garden, and I don't see any reason why this cannot continue.
I believe in tougher laws and a balanced view.  People have always complained and always will (usually those who have forgotten when the were young).
Let's ban large dangerous fireworks and loud explosive fireworks.  Maintain stricter rules on the sale of such devices.  Keep the smaller display boxes so that families who enjoy a garden display can continue to do so.
B S Heathfield.

My dog is so scared.
My experience of fireworks sold in local shops is that since two years ago leading up to bonfire night my dog loved going for walks off her lead in the woods and by the river with her nose to the ground.
After hearing fireworks going off in the streets while out for a walk, she has turned into a completely different dog.
She will only go for a walk first thing in the morning and it must be on the same route or else she pulls to go home.
If she hears the slightest unusual noise she won't go further and wants to get home as fast as she can.  I am sure many animals have the same hard time.  The fireworks start to go off in the streets from mid-October until after November 5.  I would like them banned from sale in local shops and only used at organised displays.  I do not buy fireworks for my four year old grandson and neither does his mum.
M S, Gedling

Too much trauma
We are in total agreement with any restriction on the sale of fireworks to the general public, in particular the length of time they are on sale and their explosive strength.
In the Arnold area they have been heard since September and are still going on, particularly at weekends, at all times of the day and night.  The traumatic effect on the elderly, young children, and pets, and particularly to guide dogs is particularly distressing.
J B,  Arnold.

My dog almost crawled up the wall in terror.
Thank you
Evening Post, for setting up your campaign for the control of fireworks.
Each night for about six weeks around November 5 the machine gun noises and 'cluster bombs' explosions sent my border collie literally crawling up the wall in terror.  She climbed on to kitchen work surfaces, into the sink, and the only way to control her was to sedate her every night.
Having experienced my dog's suffering, I am concerned for the distress and injuries endured by thousands of other people and animals during this prolonged period of 'firework fever'.
Fireworks must not be sold to the general public.  Their use should be restricted to organised and council-approved displays, confined to certain dates, such as November 5, the Saturday nearest the 5th and New Year's Eve.
R M, East Bridgford.

Don't sell fireworks to anyone without a permit
I am writing to congratulate your paper on initiating the campaign for control of fireworks.  Each year it gets worse and worse and this year was appalling.  Fireworks are let off many weeks before November 5 and every night for weeks afterwards, reducing my dog and myself to nervous wrecks.
On several mornings I have found my garden littered with rocket sticks with hard pointed plastic ends which would certainly cause serious injury if they landed on anyone's head.
The bangs are colossal.  Surely the noise could be cut down?
I would like to see fireworks limited to public displays and no sales at all to anyone who does not possess a permit from the council.
Cut the power of the explosives and the dreadful whiners which terrify the animals and let's have beautiful displays of colour and style like we used to.
Name & Address supplied.

My seven good reasons for curbing displays.
I am totally opposed to individual firework displays and would like public displays only for the following reasons.
1. Noise pollution
2. The prolonging of the event over a week with children letting off fireworks before and after.
3. Animals are terrified.
4. I find it stressful because I grew up in London during the war.  It is like the Blitz.  These new Chinese fireworks are too explosive.  They light up the sky.
5. The cost.  If people can spend so much money on seeing it go up in smoke they do not need child benefit/family credit, etc.  The benefit money should go to the NHS which deals with accidents resulting from this activity.
6. Fireworks are another aid to vandalism, malicious damage and cruelty to animals.
7. Ethnic groups are using fireworks to celebrate their religious festivals and now New Year seems also to have been an occasion for letting off fireworks so there is little respite from them.
Personally, I would like to see a total ban.
M M, Lambley.

They're OK..in the right hands at the right time.
I must agree with all those who would like to see the end of fireworks that can be bought over the counter.
This year there seemed to be four bonfire nights - Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
If a car horn sounds after 11pm you break the law, but fireworks - no matter how loud - can be let off at any time.
This causes distress to the elderly, young children and pets, but worst of all people do get hurt, some effects lasting for a lifetime.
Fireworks are really beautiful and bring pleasure, but only in the right hands, places and time.
E B, Long Eaton

Fireworks put extra load on emergency services.
I would like to take this opportunity to support the campaign against fireworks which have got way out of control.
Do people consider the extra work they put on the fire service?  The time and money wasted on irresponsible people could be put to better use.
We are still getting the odd firework let off in this area in the evening.  What about the stress it causes the elderly and pets?
We have two dogs, one of them is not bothered but the other one is terrified.  It has been very hard to get her out.  She is normally a very clean dog but when this time of year comes around she starts wetting and fouling in the house at night which is very distressing for her.
I'm sure many other pet owners get the same problem, why should we have to go and pay a vet for tranquillisers?
I am not a killjoy and enjoy bonfire night but after all November 5 ids bonfire night and should stay that for everyone.
M E R, Hyson Green

Burned cat had to be put down after bonfire night.
I have read your article regarding fireworks and guide dogs.
On Saturday, November 3, there was a bonfire on our local football ground, together with so many noisy fireworks.
On that night my neighbours cat, which spent a lot of time with me, went missing.  It was not until November 8 that a badly burned cat came to our door and then to our neighbour, who took him to the vet where he had to be put to sleep because of his horrific injuries.  He had suffered for four days without us knowing.
I made enquiries and showed his photo to a local shopkeeper who told me that my neighbour's cat had been asleep in the bonfire when they lit it and people saw him jump out with his fur alight.  He suffered so badly which has caused more distress to us.
So I say no more smelly bonfires, noisy fireworks or the distress it causes for old people and animals.
M W, Kimberley

We need a petition to make campaign work.
I would like to add my support  to your newspaper and to Couns John Clark and Graham Jackson in your campaign to control the sale of fireworks.
Why should a minority of mindless young thugs terrorise and disrupt the lives of so many families and their pets and the wildlife each year for their own misguided sense of pleasure.
I, like so many others, have written to my MP who doesn't seem particularly interested.  Perhaps what is needed are more specific guidelines from the
POST on how the general public's support can be most effective.  Perhaps you could organise a petition as I feel sure you would receive a massive response.
D F P, Clifton

It will all happen again at Christmas and New Year.
Sunday evening, November 25, 6.45pm, and some inconsiderate, selfish oaf on Reynolds Way is having a fireworks party.  Three weeks after bonfire night and the cat is still too scared to go out.
Come Christmas and New Year's Eve and they will be at it again.  The police are powerless to do anything.  I agree that fireworks should be licensed to organised bodies only.
K R B, Calverton

How can this firework idiocy be legal?
I am told by my local police station that it is perfectly legal for anyone to let off explosive fireworks over a two hour period terrifying myself and my pets.
But if I were to travel at 51mph on a 50mph stretch of the M25 I would be fined £60 and have three points put on my driving licence.  Tell me the sense in that because I fail to see any.
Surely this firework terrorisation cannot go on?  Every year our lives are ruled in terror by the mindless idiots who think it is fun to let off explosions at all times of the day and night.
If it is fun...then I for one fail to see it.  If playing loud music is an offence, if loud road noise is an offence, then surely the ever increasing volume of modern day fireworks are an offence.
Why are they allowed to be sold? Why can't environmental health officials do something to stop them coming into the country?
Why have departments to combat noise pollution if they can't do something about a supposedly civilised tradition that happens every year.  It's not a surprise, it's not unexpected - IT HAPPENS EVERY YEAR.
We sane humans are forced to endure terror and fear for a period of about six weeks, and don't tell me that fireworks are not supposed to be sold until 14 days before Bonfire Night.  Tell the shops!
The police are a law enforcement agency, so give them a law to enforce.
How much longer are you prepared to see people and animals terrorised in the name of 'fun'
J S, Bestwood Village

Let's stop this mayhem
It's that time of year again when my opinion of my fellow Britons takes a nosedive.
It seems that many of them are selfish childish, irresponsible idiots, (yes, I'm very angry).
This is the only conclusion I can come to after being subjected to more than a week of nightly explosions, some so powerful that they caused the widowpanes to rattle.
Because some people think it is their right to explode fireworks thousands of small birds must die of shock, and cats and dogs are so terrified that they run away and are never reunited with their families. It is just about impossible to keep pets indoors for a full week.  Who said something about the British being a nation of animal lovers?
The rest of us are assaulted by a barrage of deafening blasts and our homes are turned into what feel like war zones.  The price of this 'fun' is also paid by our firefighters and those who are killed or injured and scarred for life by fireworks.
What is being celebrated? I'm sure many people have no idea.  Anyway, nothing can justify the disturbance and damage caused by this animal onslaught.
This cannot be allowed to continue.  I do not believe the sale of these explosives can be tolerated any longer.  This is a matter for Government action and I am outraged that nothing has been done about this up to now.
I have written to my MP demanding that the sale of fireworks be banned, and I urge any
POST readers who agree with me to do the same.
A S, Calverton.

Pity the poor animals
I have been following with interest the reports from POST readers concerning fireworks.
I am just over the border, in Derbyshire, and I can describe the weeks leading up to Bonfire Night as sheer hell.
I have dogs and one has suffered a stroke brought on by the noise and fear.  I agree, nobody gives a damn about animals, be they cats, dogs, horses or small pets.  I have written to MP's animal associations, police, fire brigades, but they all seem to pass the buck.
The main cause for noise is the influx of fireworks from China and Taiwan which are absolutely lethal, and has been brought about by the deregulation of the firework industry.
I also agree that fireworks should be banned from public sales and a minimum of organised displays be permitted "minus the bangs"
Name & Address supplied.

Evening Post Campaign
I entirely agree with the comments in these letters.  I am sure most law abiding citizens would like fireworks banned, apart from official displays.  They are very much abused today giving us weeks, if not months of mindless terror.
S S, & others, Bestwood Village


Explosives laws already exist, but need enforcing
I need to purchase black powder or gunpowder as it is more commonly known for my personal use.  To do so, I need an Explosives Licence granted by Nottingham Police.
These licences are not granted without good reason and proof of your competence in handling gunpowder is needed and storage has to be approved.
The licence limits the amount that I can purchase.  I also need a certificate from the Health and Safety Executive to carry the powder from store to the place of use.  I have no objection to these requirements.  Limiting the number of people with access to explosives is a common sense precaution.
So therefore, I find it ludicrous that anyone with sufficient money can buy without a licence more explosives than I can, just because it is in the shape of a firework.
I am not allowed to use my powder except at the places appointed for its use.  Any infringement could mean the loss of my licence.  Nor am I allowed to sell powder to anyone without a licence.  The legislation is already there, it just needs enforcing.
I am not a killjoy but I fully support any move to ban the sale of fireworks to anyone other than responsible people authorised to hold organised firework parties and wish you every success in your campaign.
Name & Address supplied.

Elderly dread November 5
Having worked for many years as a carer in the community for elderly and disabled people.  I have found that they all dread October and November.
They have a great fear of fireworks.  I have had ladies refusing to go out, sitting petrified at home with the TV on too loud to try and blanket out the firework noises.
Some lie awake at night in terror - sometimes often sealing up letterboxes.  Others may have an often elderly cat or dog who refuses to go out for days - which upsets their owner even more.
Please, please, please for the sake of so many of our older generations and their pets, change the law.
Injuries would be lessened and the peace should be a benefit for all, without a complete ban on people enjoying fireworks.
P M, Nottingham

I have seen the damage
I wholeheartedly agree with the campaign against  the sale of fireworks to anybody other than organised groups. I have recently signed a petition to ban them and also written to our MP, Kenneth Clarke, regarding this matter.
The petition was being signed by people who were upset or even tortured by fireworks including someone with an autistic child for whom the noise was intolerable.  We have a dog who is terrified by the noise.
As a child, I saw someone injured; as a nurse in the 60's I helped care for someone who had lost a leg, and all in the name of pleasure.
Fireworks have become lethal weapons to humans and animals, and it's time something was done.  If they can't be banned, make their sale very heavily controlled.
N D, East Leake.

Keep up the good work
I'd like to add my support to your campaign for a complete ban on the sale of fireworks to the public.  The horrors of the accidents in November are a constant reminder of how a change in the law must be made.
I work as a meter reader and face increasing problems relating to fireworks.  People too scared to answer the door, animals scared to death, and no peace to residents at that time of year is just not acceptable. Having fireworks thrown at me or my vehicle is not acceptable.
Fireworks, in effect, are weapons, and it is time to stop their sale.  Public displays are fun, exciting and above all safe.  Carry on the good work.
J T, Nottingham.

Bangers still going off
Last night as I was watching television, somebody let some fireworks off.  They were more like bombs going off.  My dog jumped next to me on the settee terrified.  The date was December 3.
When my children were small, we always had a big bonfire in the garden and we had a lovely time.  But Bonfire Night was November 5, not the day before or the day after or as it is now, weeks after.  I could give my dog a tranquilliser, but I can't do that every night.  I hope that something can be sorted out before November 5, 2002.
E D, Stapleford

UK campaign needed
I would like a law to be passed to limit the use of fireworks to public displays.  I have heard  explosions in West Bridgford from mid-October until last week and it will no doubt start again at Christmas and the New Year.
Would the
Evening Post kindly spearhead a national campaign to achieve such a law and ensure peace and tranquillity during the winter months.  I am sure it would be appreciated by millions of people across Britain.
J F W, West Bridgford

Support ban and Government will have to listen
I was very pleased to see the articles in the Evening Post regarding the campaign to ban the sale of fireworks to the public.
I have two old English sheepdogs and dread the weeks leading up to bonfire night.  From morning until midnight the fireworks blast away and there is nothing that the public can do about it - until now.
If everyone supported the
Evening Post's campaign, then the Government may start to listen.  We should all thank the organisers of this campaign because with the Evening Post leading us, we may achieve our aims.
M B, Clifton

It felt like living in a war zone.
This year we have had to endure many weeks of loud bangs.  At times it felt as if we were in a war zone.
We have two cats neither of which cope well with the noise.  I hope the
Evening Post campaign is successful.
E O, Mansfield

Limit distress to birds and pets
I am totally in favour of a ban of the sale of fireworks to the public.
Organised displays are a much safer and sensible way of celebrating bonfire night as this would cut down on the emergency service call-outs.  And the distress caused to animals and birds would be confined to one night instead of weeks.
C and H B, Colwick

Cut explosives in fireworks
I would like to add my support to those who have written to protest about the menace of fireworks.
For several weeks prior to November 5 - and even for some days after it - the fireworks causing loud explosions have been going off at all times of the day and night in this area.
Clearly the laws which exist to prevent fireworks being sold to juveniles have failed to achieve their aim and it is time to ban the sale of fireworks to the general public altogether.
Moreover, there should be limits on the amount of explosives can contain.
Many now on sale seem designed to alarm and frighten people and pets.
T H,  Sherwood Rise.

Dangers now outweigh the fun
Please, please, please get the sale of fireworks to the general public banned.  The dangers and nuisance they cause now outweighs the fun.
W C, Bulwell




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