November 30 2002, icNewcastle - Shops praised, By The Evening Chronicle
Retailers have been praised for helping to reduce the number of illegal sales of fireworks to children. Checks by trading standards officers at Newcastle Council found that most stores checked refused to sell fireworks to people under the legal age limit of 18. A total of 91 premises were visited, with just three failing the test. Trading standards officers used volunteers to attempt to make test purchases. They also worked alongside police as part of the crackdown to protecting young people and reduce crime and disorder. Coun Michael Lynch, chairman of the council's public protection committee, welcomed most retailers ensuring children were not sold potentially dangerous fireworks. But he added: "It is still disappointing that there are still some shops prepared to sell fireworks to children."

November 29 2002, This is Bradford, Furore over late night firework display at hotel

Furious Ilkley residents are demanding action after a massive midnight firework display shattered the sleep of people across the town.  The noise from the rockets unleashed at The Craiglands Hotel in Crossbeck Road on Saturday night was so loud it woke people living more than a mile away. The hotel, which was hosting a corporate charity ball for Bradford firm Coral Windows, has been fielding outraged complaints ever since.
As a fund-raising event the evening was a runaway success, with more than £10,000 generated for Breast Cancer Awareness and the Bradford Cancer Research Appeal. But its firework finale, put on by a professional display team, was a public relations disaster - and according to one local householder sounded `like the start of World War Three'. The backlash has seen a flood of complaints being directed at both Coral Windows and the Craiglands.
Sarah Bailey, from Wheatley Road, Ilkley, was rudely awakened in the first minute of Sunday morning.  She said: "I'd gone to sleep, because I was getting up at quarter to six, when I was woken by the first explosion and I had to drive my son all the way to London on Sunday after being woken up by these fireworks.  "I didn't know what they were at the time and they were so loud my heart was racing for ages afterwards.  "They do let off fireworks after weddings in the summer at around 10pm or 10.30pm and it doesn't bother me, but this was at midnight and every single one was like a bomb.  "I've never heard anything like it. They said they'd notified people but I certainly didn't have a letter.  "I've complained to the hotel and to the parish council because this has got to stop."
Owen Wells, from Eaton Road, Ilkley, said: "What a way for a charity ball to get bad publicity!  "My wife and I were just nodding off to sleep when we were woken up and if we were woken then half the population as far as Ben Rhydding will have been woken. "What I thought was particularly insensitive was the timing. If fireworks are let off at 7pm or 8pm then it's dark enough and they don't inconvenience anybody.  "At 9am or 10am it starts to get annoying, but when it gets to midnight it's a liberty. As a parole officer I am used to irresponsible and anti-social behaviour and that is what this was."
Others woken by the display included Ilkley Parish Council's deputy chairman councillor Heathcliffe Bowen, who lives more than a mile away in the `West End' of Ilkley.  He said: "They were very loud. My first thought was how people living nearby were coping with it, especially those with young children or pets."
Coral Windows and the hotel say they liaised with the police beforehand, but Ilkley Police Sergeant Esther Hobbs thinks wires must have got crossed.  She said: "I'm as disgusted as the residents are that people think they can have their enjoyment at the expense of everybody else.  "I had spoken to the manager of the hotel and I said I thought midnight was too late. But then it seems they have spoken to another sergeant at another station who supposedly has said `yes, have it at that time'.  "This is an issue all over, not just in Ilkley and not just this hotel, because fireworks are available throughout the year now and it is the `in' way of having a finale to a party.  "This was raised at the parish council two months ago when they said they would be looking at introducing by-laws for limiting what time fireworks can be let off.  "In a case like this such a by-law would certainly be enforceable."
Coral Windows' sales and marketing manager Julie Hodgson was inspired to organise the fund-raising party after a friend was diagnosed with breast cancer.  She said: "On behalf of Coral Windows I would like to apologise to the Ilkley residents for not, in hindsight, having the display earlier.  "It was planned for 12am and we had notified the local residents, by sending out a mailshot, and talked to the police.  "I didn't expect people to complain big time, although I thought there might be a few who would.  "It was the first charity ball we have done and it was a brilliant night at a fantastic hotel which did raise a lot of money for charity.  "But hindsight is a great thing and if we do it again next year we will have the fireworks earlier."
The manager of the Craiglands, Ivan Lynch, said he would also do things differently if there was a `next time'. He said: "I've been inundated with complaints and even had some residents screaming at me because the firework display was too loud and too late.  "Coral Windows had said they would like a firework display, which was fine, and we received a letter Mrs Hodgson had got from the police at Keighley saying they had no objection to a planned display at midnight on Saturday.  "I also printed 60 copies of a letter and posted them to the residents as a polite notice that it was going to happen, so we thought we'd done as much as we could.  "Personally I wasn't aware of the enormity of the display, it was quite a bit bigger than I expected. Probably, as Julie has said, it should have been earlier.

November 29 2002, This is Bradford, Lack of response

Who wouldn't applaud the fact that a charity ball in Ilkley raised more than £10,000 for cancer charities on Saturday night? Unfortunately, the organisers of the same event at the Craiglands Hotel chose to end the evening with an extremely loud, prolonged professional firework display - which started at midnight.
It seems incredible that neither Coral Windows, the Bradford firm which hosted the ball, nor the Craiglands considered the inevitable, far-reaching impact this would have on the town.
Residents living more than a mile from the hotel were woken up by the noise - and we can only imagine the impact on those sleeping in the several nursing and residential homes based beside the Craiglands on Crossbeck Road.
The uproar which ensued was entirely predictable. Local people, already more than fed up with the apparently non-stop barrage of late-night explosions which ran from October through to Guy Fawkes' Night, were quick to bombard the hotel and Coral Windows with complaints.
Ilkley Parish Council, too, has been urged to introduce a by-law which limits the times fireworks can be let off - and which would give the police the authority to stop ill thought out fiascos like Saturday night happening again.
It is a pity Coral Windows' admirable fund-raising achievement has been overshadowed by the controversy - but perhaps the next time they want to end an event with a bang they will spare a thought for the local community.

November 29 2002, This is Bradford, Letters to the Editor, Protest at maelstrom of detonations

SIR, - The sleep of the Ilkley residents in the proximity of the Craiglands Hotel was rudely disturbed once again in the early hours of Sunday morning as a result of thoughtless and inconsiderate action by this establishment.
At four minutes past midnight, the skies erupted into an horrendous maelstrom of detonations and bursts of light. This firework `display' continued for some ten minutes, by which time one's senses had been totally assaulted and dulled by a continuous barrage of bangs and flashes.
This behaviour is completely reprehensible and constitutes a public nuisance, and possibly a breach of human rights in depriving folk of a peaceful night's rest.
If these people have to express themselves in such a loud and violent manner, then would it be too much to ask that the ritual takes place earlier in the evening?
These disturbances are becoming more and more common as fireworks, which were once restricted to around Guy Fawkes Night, are being sold and used throughout the year. The hotel mentioned above is not the only culprit, as the peace of many a night is disrupted by this so-called entertainment.
If Ilkley parish councillors are not fully aware of this nuisance, then it should be brought to their attention and, hopefully, they could put an end to these nefarious incidents.
R. W. G. Ilkley
.
Monstrous egotist
SIR, - It's midnight on Sunday and the fireworks start. Quite a long way off, they go on for a quarter of an hour. They wake every person in the household. If they wake everyone in my house, then they must wake everybody in Ilkley. Young children, elderly grandparents, the healthy, the sick, those desperate for sleep after a hard day's work, those just drifting off into a pleasant dream; everybody. What sort of monstrous egotist, that their birthday, their wedding, their party, their anything is more important than the sleep of thousands of their neighbours?
O. R. W. Ilkley.

Origin of the noise
SIR, - Darwinians need no reminding that last Saturday was the anniversary of the Origin of the Species being published.  Had the great man been in town, he would have written about the pyrotechnic promulgation which hit slumbering residents.  Hardly the missing link. More missing brain cells. Some idiot decided that the ideal time to let off explosive charges was between midnight and 12.15am.
No doubt intoxication had something to do with it. Hardly actions to go alongside `The Address'.
One hopes that new residents will voice their opinions more strongly before things really get out of hand. The peace and tranquillity for which people move to this area was destroyed again last weekend - probably by some `out of towner'.  Did the idiot think what could happen if one of the explosives started a fire?
Or caused a resident to have an accident because of their ill-timed pyrotechnics? I suggest letting off fireworks over a certain size should carry the same penalty as using unlicensed explosives.
F. I.  Ilkley.

SIR - I am writing to say that the number of teenagers setting fireworks off in the street is terrible.
Last week a firework hit my friend's dog and it had to be put down because of all the scars all over it's face.
Another reason is that sometimes I can't get to sleep because all the fireworks are going off at 4 o'clock in the morning!
Lastly, I have two cats and I am scared of them being injured by the nasty fireworks.
A. P. (age 8)

November 29 2002, This is Herefordshire, Businessman lodges appeal

Staplow businessman John Nicholls has formally launched an appeal to overturn a Herefordshire Council enforcement notice over the running of a fireworks business at Pegs Farm. The notice was brought by the authority for an alleged breach of planning control, in that buildings for agricultural use were used in connection with the storage, packaging and distribution of fireworks.
The appeal lodged by Mr Nicholls, of Firework Factors Ltd, will be decided by a public inquiry on February 18 from 10am, at the council chamber, Town Hall, Hereford. A Government inspector will also make a site visit to Pegs Farm.  Mr Nicholls is appealing against the notice, which required him to cease use of land for the storage, packaging and distribution of fireworks, on the grounds that "the steps required to comply with the requirements of the notice are excessive, and lesser steps would overcome the objections".
Mr Nicholls was refused planning permission for a storage magazine for fireworks at Pegs Farm, Hollow Lane, on March 30. On October 30, Herefordshire Council deferred a decision on whether to allow Mr Nicholls to turn a farmyard building at Pegs Farm into an office.

November 29 2002, This is Lancashire, They're driving us away
A TERRIFIED woman says she is desperate to leave Chorley after being terrorised by a gang of youths on a local housing estate.  During the past year, 29-year-old Claudine Waddington, of Ullswater Road in the Tootell Street area says she has had a firework pushed through her letterbox, graffiti daubed on her door and eggs thrown at her windows.

November 29 2002, This is The West Country, End menace of fireworks, call

THE leader of Wellington town council has said it is time to end months of misery caused by fireworks exploding at all hours of the night. Council chairman Ross Henley will tell fellow councillors at a meeting on Monday (December 2) that the problem is getting out of control.  Cllr Henley has received complaints from several ward members who are fed up with the anxiety and stress caused to themselves and their pets.  The town has been plagued by the problem since well before firework night with the latest explosions going off only last weekend.
Mr Henley told the County Gazette: "Last Saturday was the worst yet and this is upsetting a lot of people.  "It's getting out of hand and the time has come where we need to look at controlling this problem."  He says the fireworks are landing on people's roofs and are disturbing the peace of the town.  He added: "Someone will be seriously injured before too long. I don't know what powers are available to the council but that will need to be discussed."  The continued misuse of fireworks is now even more significant given the depleted reserves of the fire service during the strikes.  For the full story, see this week's Somerset County Gazette.

November 29 2002, This is Wiltshire, Call for restrictions

THERE are two issues that are making me see red at the moment.
Fireworks. Why does firework night last for three weeks minimum? I feel very strongly that this should be limited to one or two days and to organised displays only. If you want to own a gun you have to have a licence, if you want to sell or hire out Hilti Guns and cartridges as used in the building trade you have to have an explosives licence. Apparently if you are 16 or over, however irresponsible, you can purchase fireworks and cause untold damage with them.
Not to mention frightening the older members of the population and animals.
NAME AND ADDRESS  SUPPLIED

November 28 2002, icCoventry - Call to sign fireworks petition

A public petition has been launched by Coventry City Council in its quest for a bylaw to crack down on the use of fireworks. The council has applied to deputy Prime Minister John Prescott for permission to introduce a city-wide ban on fireworks being let off between 11pm and 7am.  If the application is allowed, it is thought Coventry would be the first city to gain such a prohibition.  The move follows complaints from residents about fireworks being let off at all hours over a period of months.
Cllr John McNicholas, cabinet member for environment and transport, said: "I would urge everyone who is concerned about fireworks to sign the petition.  "It is clear that Coventry residents and others nationally want something done about the noise, nuisance and safety aspects surrounding fireworks. "I hope Mr Prescott's office will see the sense in our application and grant us permission to tackle this very real problem."
The council is also calling on the government to ban the sale of the larger and noisier category three fireworks to the general public and to give local authorities the power to restrict the holding of a licence to sell fireworks, to responsible retailers only. Copies of the petition can be found in the Council House and at other council offices, and at libraries and secondary schools.  A reply on the bylaw application is expected before Christmas.

November 27 2002, This is The West Country, Second firework incident hits town
AN Ilminster family had a lucky escape after a large display firework was set off inside a pub early on Monday morning.
The firework, a bundle of about 20 rockets - was "meant to go off in all directions and burn us down," according to Joan Poole, the landlady of the Dolphin in Silver Street.
It is the second major incident involving fireworks in the town in recent weeks.

November 26 2002, East Anglian Daily Times - Animals go through firework torment

Sir, - In answer to Mrs S R Thompson in today's letters (November 19) I would say get real. I don't think anyone begrudges a night of excitement with their fireworks but it has been going on now for five weeks and she should think of the torment that not only our dogs and cats are going through by the animals in the wild.
If you have an animal that isn't frightened then lucky you, you should be in the company of one that is, then you might understand why there should be some sort of regulation on these noising and frightening things.
J. P. St Osyth.

November 26 2002, this is Gloucestershire, WHAT ABOUT NOISY DOGS
Madam - I refer to Christine Hooper (Letters, November 21) and all the other moaning pet owners who keep complaining about fireworks frightening their pets.
I have fireworks, as do my children and many other people.
It's only once a year, for up to five nights, but the endless din of barking disturbs us all year round.
If these pets are so loved, their owners should take them to work and stop the constant barking of dogs left at home from 9am to 5pm.
If there is a law banning noisy fireworks, it should also incorporate these annoying animals.
G. M. Cheltenham.

November 25 2002, This is Bradford, We could have died, say trapped couple
Calls were made today for smoke detectors in all Bradford Council's sheltered flats to be linked to a central control room after a disabled man and his wife became trapped in their smoke-filled home.
Terrified Norman and Kim Sharp were cooking when a lighted firework was shoved through their letterbox, blocking off their only means of escape at the complex of nearly 100 flats. They perched on an outside balcony to escape the thick black smoke which filled their home, as their fire alarm rang for ten minutes without neighbours realising the drama taking place inside. Fortunately, the firework burned itself out and the couple were able to escape through their front door.

November 25 2002, This is The West Country, Council in call for firework control
SPARKS could be about to fly in Westminster following a series of firework attacks in Ilminster and Crewkerne.
South Somerset District Council is to consider approaching the Local Government Association, calling on members to lobby the Government for tighter restrictions on the sale of fireworks.
Members of the council's Area West Committee resolved on November 20 to put the matter to the full council.

November 23 2002, icBirmingham - Fireworks covered gun shot

Loud cannon-like fireworks may have stopped residents of a Birmingham street coming to a gunshot victim's aid.
Coun Ron Whitehouse (Lab, Perry Barr) said residents of Cardington Avenue ignored the gunfire as 31-year-old Jason Spence was shot.  And he said police may have lost vital witnesses as a result when the father of three from Kingstanding was killed in a drive-by shooting.
Coun Whitehouse said: "These fireworks have been going off night after night for weeks now - it sounds like there's been gunfire every night. "Many residents thought this was more of the same and thought nothing of it."
Coun Whitehouse is already backing a City Council campaign for fireworks licences so only responsible members of the community will be able to buy them.
Two men have been charged with conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm and police are still looking for the occupants of a silver estate car in connection with the killing.

November 23 2002, This is York, Don't burn money
DANIELLE Donohue (November 14) is making a common mistake in thinking that in York, above all places, we should let off fireworks.
Celebrating November 5 was, and still is, a way of showing delight at the failure of the Gunpowder Plot, and of symbolically punishing Guy Fawkes yet again by throwing his effigy on a bonfire.
If we in York want to show solidarity with our fellow native (while perhaps not following his example!) - and some people did nominate him for a statue in St Helen's Square - we should keep very quiet on and around November 5.
Instead of fireworks and bonfires, perhaps we could have a symbolic funeral procession?
So City of York Council should be one of the last councils in the country to think of putting on a firework display. I am glad the money is spent on Christmas lights rather than being burned.
M. B. Fulford, York

November 22 2002, Henley on Line, FIREWORKS ARE DRIVING PEOPLE CRACKERS
TIGHTER restrictions should be introduced to control the sale of fireworks, according to Oxfordshire county councillors. Members of the council's executive board have agreed to ask the Government for new legislation which will help to control the sale and use of fireworks.
At the board meeting, councillors were told that in 2001, there were 1,362 accidents caused by fireworks nationwide.
One third involved children under 13 years of age while children under 18 accounted for almost two thirds of injuries received.
The figures for 2001 represented a 40 per cent increase in accidents compared to the previous year. Neil Fawcett, executive member for learning and culture, told the November meeting that some large fireworks could be compared to weapons because they were just as dangerous. He added that his daughter had been injured several years ago at a public firework display when someone threw a banger at her. "The Government has banned the sale of bangers from January, and we certainly need greater control over the use and sale of fireworks," he added.
Cllr. Anne Purse added: "The fireworks season seems to go on and on and a lot of people spend a whole fortnight caring for trembling animals."
Councillors agreed to call for a reduction in the size of fireworks available to the general public by a ban on the sale of Category 3 fireworks, other than to registered event organisers who have been trained in their use.
The majority of Category 3 fireworks require a 25m safety zone, and trading standards officers believe they are not suitable for use in back gardens.
Councillors are also seeking a requirement that all events at which large Category 3 and 4 fireworks are used should be registered with the council.
Any shop which sells fireworks has to register with the county council, which costs £12 a year.
Councillors called on the Government to review the registration fee system, with a view to increasing it to cover the cost of safety inspections at shop premises.
Between 1996 and 2001, there were 6,362 reported incidents involving fireworks across the country, including four fatalities.
Nigel Strick, head of the county council's trading standards department, said: "We don't want to spoil the fun but at the moment some of the fireworks that are being sold legally across the counter are huge explosives and the Government should introduce tighter controls.
"We would much prefer it if people only attended organised events."

November 22 2002, icCheshireOnline - Chester Chronicle letters

I FULLY agree with Cllr Chris Blakeley's letter in last week's Points of View ('Fireworks are a menace - we must ban them now') but would like to point out that writing to our MP for Chester would appear to be a waste of time and postage.  I wrote to Christine Russell in November 2001, see extract below: 'I would suggest some legislation to ensure:
1 no sales before the actual day,
2 sales only to people who can prove that they are official organisers of bonfires,
3 organisers to liaise with the Fire Services regarding safety,
4 costs to be borne by the spectators,
5 events being advertised.
'That way we could all enjoy fireworks and minimise discomfort to the animals/very young/sick and old people, not to mention distraught mothers, trying to get babies off to sleep.'
The response I got from her office was a listing of standard regulations in force/voluntary code of practice and that there was currently no way that the Government could regulate sales of fireworks. Again, a waste of time and postage as I know the standard regulations and the voluntary code of practice of the fireworks industry. I also know that the regulations are by and large not enforceable and we can forget the voluntary code of practice.
No shop will stop selling fireworks a few days after the event if they still have stock left. Indeed, that is when they are reduced in price, so even more of an enticement to buy.
When I replied to her letter outlining why current legislation needs to be updated, I got no reply.
If Cllr Blakeley knows of any other way of collectively tackling this menace, I would be pleased to hear from him.
R. A. G. Chester

I REALLY could not believe the letter last week from Miss D Taylor about the fireworks. She obviously was not hearing the same fireworks as me.  They are a regular occurrence in Upton, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They explode like bombs shaking the windows, terrifying the elderly, pets and the wildlife.
As for going to bed and putting the covers over my head, I have tried that and it does not work - neither does turning the TV up. I agree fireworks can be a wonderful spectacle but they would be better if they did not make any noise. By the way, I am not old or a spoilsport.
B. S. Upton Heath, Chester

MS DORA Taylor's advice to this 'whining, moaning, old spoilsport', regarding the noise from fireworks, is to put my head under the bedclothes and go to sleep.
I have one comment, and one comment only. Scientists have maintained, for years, that 'there is no such thing as a perfect vacuum.'
I can now inform the Royal Society that such a state can indeed be found in St Oswald's, Newtown, Chester: in the space between Ms Taylor's ears.
P. B. Pulford

November 22 2002, icLiverpool - Your view Reader letters Regulate fireworks

FURTHER to the correspondence regarding fireworks, anyone who would like to see tighter controls over the retail sale of fireworks should make their concerns known to: Mr Eddie O'Hara, MP, House of Commons, London SW1A OAA. Mr O'Hara is campaigning for more control over fireworks.
P. F. Churchtown.

November 22 2002, This is Leicestershire - 'BAN DANGEROUS FIREWORKS'

Residents fear someone could be maimed or killed by metal-tipped fireworks. The city council is urging the Government to ban fireworks with three-inch metal tips following complaints from the public.  Residents of Rowley Fields and South Braunstone have complained to their councillor, Andy Metcalfe, about the firework fragments they have found in their gardens over the past month.
Les Coles, of Braunstone, said: "I've found four of these fireworks in my garden. I'm worried that one day one of these things will hit someone. It could really injure them."
Ursula Green, of Rowley Fields, said: "I'm very worried about this. I have a small child and two pet cats and I worry about their safety. "I have noticed that the firework season has been going on far longer this year and there's more firework debris around."
Her neighbour, Billy Jenkins, said: "Steps should be taken to make these things illegal. They sound really dangerous and I have noticed that fireworks are going off all over the place at the moment."
Coun Metcalfe said: "These things have three-inch metal tips. They are potentially deadly. I think we should be looking at banning or licensing the use of these things."
A council spokesman said: "Rockets are second only to bonfires for the amount of injuries they cause - 264 across the country last year.  "We have inspected the fireworks brought in by Coun Metcalfe and they fulfil the law as it stands. British Standard 7114 of 1988 specifies that debris from fireworks can weigh up to 150 grams, which is six ounces. "These metal tips are aluminium and weigh about 25 grams in total.  "You can buy these fireworks over the counter and we feel the DTI should consider seriously restrictions on rockets."
The council has had 311 fireworks complaints this autumn, compared to 52 last year.
A spokesman said fireworks could be sold throughout the year, but the council and firework industry encouraged retailers to restrict sales to within a month of Bonfire Night.
A spokesman for the Department of Trade and Industry said that he would look into Leicester's concerns about the risk posed by metal-tipped rockets.

November 22 2002, This is Devon, Ban anger as rocket smashes through roof
A firework that smashed through the roof of a house in Torquay has prompted an angry homeowner to call for a ban on their use in urban areas. Jean Haynes, 72, said the missile - a 'Cosmic' rocket attached to a three-and-a-half foot stick - could easily have killed someone. Instead it damaged two tiles of her terraced house in Sherwell Valley Road, Chelston, and left rainwater gushing into a bedroom.
Another fizzing rocket landed in her garden, narrowly missing a greenhouse.
Mrs Haynes was already well aware, from personal experience, of the dangers of out-of-control fireworks - having been burnt as a child when another child threw one on a bonfire. Of the latest incident, she said: "I'd just got into bed when I heard a whiz and a bang like a bomb. "I looked out the window and saw fireworks going off nearby."
The pensioner thought nothing more of it until a few days later when she noticed water pouring through her bedroom ceiling. "My ceiling nearly came down with the water," she said. "I had to have an emergency builder in to replace two big tiles. He went into the loft and found a large firework which had penetrated the tiles and felt.
"Earlier I had found a similar firework embedded in the grass next to my greenhouse." Mrs Haynes believes the barrage was unleashed accidentally by adults.  "I should imagine it was part of a family display that went wrong. But if they had come through a window and hit me, I wouldn't have stood a chance. A child would easily have been killed.
Now she is asking Torbay MP Adrian Sanders to push for legislation to ban the casual use of large fireworks in built-up areas. "I've no objection to sparklers and Catherine wheels, but if people want big fireworks they should go to parks and playing fields to see properly organised displays," she said.

November 22 2002, this is Gloucestershire STOP THIS RACKET
Madam - Am I the only resident in Cheltenham who imagines that November 5 gets longer and longer each year?
I am writing long after Guy Fawkes' Night amid much noise - all to the distress of our two cats.
This has been going on for nearly two weeks.
Obviously you can't prevent people from letting off fireworks whenever they want.
I wish people would call it a day by November 7.
A. B.  Cheltenham.

November 22 2002, this is Gloucestershire, MEASURES REGULATE FIREWORKS
Madam - Yet another year of weeks of upset and trauma for people, animals and birds in the wake of excessively loud fireworks in the hands of a mindless minority.
Readers may like to know that the first measures to control and regulate the use of fireworks are in place.
From January next year noise levels should be reduced as the worst of the bangers will no longer be available to the public.
In addition, the fireworks industry (a self-regulating body) will be asked to restrict sales of all fireworks to a fortnight before and after November 5.
The burden of responsibility now rests squarely with the fireworks industry and the shops selling them. At least it's a start.
E. H. Up Hatherley.

November 22 2002, This is The Lake District, Sparks fly over fireworks
Sparks flew in Windermere when dozens of angry residents spoke out about the fireworks keeping them awake into the early hours. People living in the heart of the Lake District claim they are regularly subjected to a rude awakening of bangs, rockets and showers of light, terrifying elderly residents, pets, livestock and wildlife.
Police pin the blame for many of the fireworks on bored youths, while residents say hotel wedding parties are also at fault.  More than 80 people packed the Ladyholme Centre in Windermere to have their say and draw up an action plan to help crack down on the early-hour pyrotechnic displays which they say are ruining their quality of life.
Meeting co-ordinator Trevor Hinxman, who had originally planned to host the event in his front room but had had to book a larger venue, said there was a growing tide of national opinion against unregulated firework displays.
He urged people to contact their MP Tim Collins to call for tougher controls. "I do not think the friendly approach will work - it will for the majority but if one or two do not comply the whole thing falls apart," he said.
South Lakeland District Council environmental health officer Scott Burns urged people to make use of existing legislation by keeping diaries of firework disturbances. He admitted the procedure was less than ideal but said, with enough evidence, it would be possible to take a complaint to court.
Cumbria Tourist Board operations director Ian Stephens said he would like to see a "moderate, controlled and sensible" approach to the problem. He added: " Fireworks are a traditional form of celebration. Many people come to the Lake District to celebrate."
Bill Smith of the Lake District Hospitality Group, representing around 200 hotels, said he believed the majority of group members were very responsible, and he would be in favour of a voluntary code of conduct.
To cries of derision from the meeting, he urged people to consider the economic argument, and to remember that hotels provided local jobs.
Mr Smith added that the board could only recommend - not enforce - hotels to use quieter fireworks.
Ecclerigg resident Ann Clarke said: "You trade on being in the Lake District - on the tranquillity and the beauty - but in the evenings you shove all those fireworks up at 11 and 12 o'clock at night."
Bowness resident and gardener Michael Brook said he had observed the impact on wildlife first hand. "Big bangs are totally alien to the national park. Why can't they be banned just as they banned the speed boats?  "I have seen endangered species - two spotted flycatchers and song thrushes - abandon their nests twice after fireworks on two occasions."
A working group was set up to finalise a plan of action to include:
Targeting schools and parent teacher associations to help get the message to young people.
Letters to local shops selling fireworks.
Letters to Tim Collins and Number 10 Downing Street.
Local hotels to try quieter firework packages.

November 21 2002, BBC NEWS  Firework 'caused bin blast'

An explosion in a rubbish bin that shattered windows in a Northampton street appears to have been caused by a large firework, police have said.  Army bomb disposal experts were called to the scene in Billing Road, near St Andrew's Hospital and opposite Barry Road, after the explosion at about 0400 GMT on Thursday.
Local residents were advised to keep to the back of their houses while the area was made safe, and drivers were urged to stay away.  However, surrounding roads were reopened at about 1300 GMT once experts had decided the explosive was probably a firework placed inside a bin at a bus-stop.
One resident of a nearby house told BBC Radio Northamptonshire about the explosion.  "I was woken by a big blast noise. I didn't know if it was a gas explosion or a car. "I came running downstairs to our front room and noticed that the windows were scattered all over the floor."
There have been no reports of any injuries. Police inquiries are continuing.

November 21 2002, Evening Chronicle, Pet dog jumps from first floor
A frantic pet owner is appealing for help after her nine-inch dog jumped out of a first floor window.
Sonny the miniature Doberman Pinscher leapt out of a bedroom window and ran off after a 15ft fall.
Owner Kim Smith, says her two grandchildren Bethany, two, and Aaron, three, are distraught since Sonny vanished on Sunday Night.
Kim said, "There were loads of fireworks being set off and he is terrified of them.  I think he just panicked.  I don't know how he managed to jump out of the window, but it was the only way out of the room.  The grass in the front garden is quite long and he is very light - he would have just bounced off it.  There have been a couple of sightings of him, but by the time we found out he was gone.  We are going out of our minds with worry.  He's not a very friendly dog towards other people, so he'd make a lousy pet for someone else, but we love him and want him back."
Anyone who has seen Sonny can call (0191) 2955244

November 21 2002, Guardian Unlimited Politics  Special Reports  Exploding postboxes
An incident in which a postbox was blown out of a wall in Masham in North Yorkshire was raised by Lady Masham.
She said: "If fireworks get into the wrong hands they can be very dangerous." The incident was near her home.
Home office minister Lord Falconer said it sounded "a remarkable firework".

November 21 2002, icBerkshire - Display of firework anger

HAVING read your paper this week I would like to say how I agree with the letter regarding fireworks.
I have lived in South Reading for a number of years and this last two years it has been very bad with fireworks going off at 3am any night to 6.50am on a Sunday morning since mid-September. Last year I contacted the local councillor for Redlands regarding this issue and was assured by letter that the Trading Standards Office would look into this matter. Well this year it is worse, in fact diabolical. I have a very frightened dog who has been to every specialist going, to no avail, and for parents with young children it must be awful.
Several shops in the Avenue sell fireworks but no signs stating fireworks cannot be sold to children under 18.
I am told one shop has a year long licence to sell fireworks, which may account for the continual bangs.
May I ask through your paper this can be dealt with for future years.
NAME AND ADDRESS SUPPLIED

November 21 2002, icNorthWales - Vandals blow up postbox

VANDALS used fireworks to blow up a village postbox last Friday. Teenagers dumped so many lit fireworks into the Royal Mail box that the shutter blew off, scattering letters all over the street.
A local resident who witnessed the incident at 10.50pm collected the letters, some of which were understood to be damaged and got in touch with the police.
A police spokesman said that they were appealing for information.  He said: "We were amazed at the sheer stupidity of those responsible; there were that many fireworks shoved into the postbox in Rhostryfan that the force of the explosion actually blew off the door.  "The postbox is near to an estate and this could have resulted in serious injury or have been fatal if anyone had been caught in the way of the explosion.  " We always get incidents a few weeks before or after Guy Fawkes' Night but this is very dangerous to be using fireworks like bombs and we are treating this incident seriously."
A Royal Mail spokesman said: "Fortunately, this is a rare occurrence, but we take any attacks on our facilities very seriously. We are very disappointed that some members of the public should see fit to attack this postbox for entertainment value. " We are evaluating the damage in order to repair or replace the box." Royal Mail has issued a helpline for any who may have lost mail in the incident. Telephone (08457) 740740.

November 21 2002, Local London, One night only for fireworks
AT last firework fortnight appears to be over. Why does it take three weekends with all the days in between to celebrate this event?
Please can we get back to commemorating Guy Fawkes Day on November 5, whatever day it falls on.
As a boy in the 1960s, I recall that firework day was indeed one day only. This was more or less beautifully observed and finished at 10pm. The main exceptions were bangers let off by the 'jack the lads' in the weeks leading up to the big day.
Perhaps our Government could legislate to end this two-week event, although I doubt it. It probably fears a plot.
I cannot believe that two weeks of fireworks serves the very young, very old, the ill and infirm and cats and dogs, at all well. Also the number of injuries, mild or severe, not to mention pollution should be of concern. Thank God for double glazing.
Oh well. Only another 50 weeks to go.
D. G. Walthamstow.

November 21 2002, Local London, The worst year for fireworks so far
I HAVE read letters about constant firework explosions. I am writing this letter in the early hours of Sunday, November 17, in what I can only describe as a war zone.  This has now been constant for about six weeks.
I have written to Iain Duncan Smith and as my MP asked him to help with this problem. I would ask all the residents of Waltham Forest to write to their MPs. This year has been the worst so far. I feel something has to be done to return to normality.
RESIDENT, Hampton Road, Chingford

November 21 2002, this is Gloucestershire, WHAT A NOISE
Madam - I had to listen to several very loud fireworks for five nights in a row.
I realise it was bonfire night and one can expect some on the weekend around November 5 but to continue for three nights afterwards is really too much, especially after midnight.
W. S. Hatherley.