November 4 2003, Ananova - Youngsters face firework ban
Youngsters under 18 would be banned from possessing fireworks in public places as part of new measures to crackdown on their use.  Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt announced measures including the outlawing the largest and most powerful fireworks for all members of the public.
The fixed penalty for people caught throwing fireworks in the street will be doubled to £80.
The Government will also draft regulations before the end of the year to enshrine in law the firework industry's current voluntary ban on airbombs.
The crackdown comes amid concern over abuse of fireworks including an incident on Friday in which a dog died of burns and shock after a firework was tied to its tail and lit in North Lanarkshire.
Ms Hewitt said: "In the right place and the right time fireworks are a real source of pleasure and we want families to enjoy the safe use of fireworks in their gardens and in public displays. "But people across the UK are sick of being terrorised by irresponsible use of fireworks. We want to drive the fireworks thugs off the street and will use the full force of law to tackle those who are making the lives of others a misery in this way."
Draft regulations including a curfew on fireworks during anti-social hours, a noise limit of 120 decibels and a new licensing system for sales will be published in the New Year.
The Government would aim to have all the curbs in place by July 2004.

November 4 2003, BBC NEWS  Magazine  Why Bonfire Night is going out with a bang
This year's bonfire night will be the last before tough new restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks come into effect.   From next year, devices louder than 120 decibels - roughly the same volume as a jet aircraft taking off - will be banned from sale.
And anyone caught letting off fireworks in a public place after 11pm could be arrested and fined.
Other measures are expected to include:
Restricting the sale of fireworks to a three week period ahead of 5 November and a short period over New Year
Licensing retailers who sell fireworks - and allowing local authorities to refuse or revoke such licences
Compulsory training for firework display operators
Making the possession of fireworks by under 18s a criminal offence
The government is expected shortly to outlaw "air bombs", roman candle-style tubes that send a single loud explosion into the air and which are currently subject to a voluntary ban by the industry.
Other nuisance fireworks such as bangers, "jumping jacks" and certain small rockets, which could be thrown at people, have been banned from sale in 1997.
The waste of police time is criminal - why don't we just change the law to deprive criminals and young thugs of their availability?

Norman Bettison, chief constable of Merseyside Police 
"This latest move on air bombs - some of which sell for as cheaply as four for 99p - is taking pocket money fireworks out of the equation. And that is a good thing," John Bush, of retailer Millennium Fireworks, said.  "Most of the abuse of fireworks has been coming from the cheaper end of the market."
Sparklers, which accounted for 135 injuries last year, will still be available. Variety packs for home displays will still be sold - but without air bombs and certain rockets.

For many people, the new measures - enshrined in the Fireworks Act - are long overdue.  The tradition of letting off fireworks on 5 November to commemorate Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 has long since ceased to be a harmless tradition.   Vandalism involving fireworks has escalated in recent years, with more reports of fireworks being pushed through letter boxes or thrown at children and animals.  More serious criminals have also cottoned on to the potential of fireworks as a terror weapon.
In Merseyside in recent months 28 telephone boxes and seven cars have been blown up using firework gunpowder.

November 4 2003, BBC NEWS  UK  Scotland  Children's firework kills puppy
A puppy has died after a gang of children, some as young as 12, threw a lit firework at it.
Officials from the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) have described the incident as "horrific".
It happened on the Gowkthrapple housing estate in Wishaw.  The boxer puppy had been playing in its owner's garden when it managed to wriggle through the back fence.  The family who owned the puppy are absolutely distraught
Children had been reported throwing fireworks nearby and a neighbour who heard a dog in distress rushed outside to find the puppy lying with severe burns.  Mairi Ball, spokeswoman for the SSPCA, said: "The neighbour called us and an inspector was dispatched to the scene. The puppy was very distressed and in a very bad way.  "Our inspector rushed it to a nearby vet but sadly it died as she arrived from a combination of severe burns and shock."
She added: "The family who owned the puppy are absolutely distraught. It is only a sick individual who could target a puppy in this way, no animal should suffer for human entertainment.  "With someone showing complete disregard for animals in this way is very worrying, it makes you wonder what they will do next."

November 4 2003, BBC NEWS  UK  Wales  Illegal firework sales uncovered
Trading standards officers have uncovered large illegal sales of fireworks to teenagers by unscrupulous shopkeepers in some areas of Wales.
In Cardiff, council officers carrying out an undercover investigation found one in five shops would sell rockets and bangers to children.
In a  test of 52 shops in the run up to Bonfire Night, 10 sold fireworks to children aged 14 or 15 posing as customers on behalf of trading standards.
Shopkeepers breaking the law in this way could face a £5,000 maximum fine or six months in prison, if prosecuted and convicted.
The number of injuries from fireworks continues to grow.
Last year, 73 people were treated for fireworks injuries at NHS hospitals in Wales, up from 64 the previous year.
Bangers were the main causes of injury with the number rising from six in 2001 to 17 last year.
Nearly half of all injuries (33) occurred to children under 15.
A group of youths fired a rocket and it hit one of my colleagues and exploded after deflecting off the side of his face
In the undercover investigation, volunteers had to ask for an item from the shop's fireworks selection and were not allowed to lie about their age or pretend to be adults.  A spokesman for Cardiff's trading standards said: "Some of [the fireworks] are classified as 25m distance you should be away from some of these things. "Fireworks like this you certainly wouldn't want in the hands of young children."  But some shopkeepers say they are trying their best to prevent fireworks from being sold illegally to children.  One Cardiff retailer, who did not want to be identified, said: "It is a problem.  "We try to put them out as late as we can because once you do put them out, the kids are coming in trying to buy them.  "The other problem we get is adults trying to buy for them as well. "It's no problem to ask them, are they definitely for yourself, and if not, point out it's an offence for kids to have fireworks."

PC Paul Tebbit, who works in the Fairwater area of Cardiff, said the time around Bonfire Night was his busiest of the year. "This time of year can be very busy with youth annoyance calls, Halloween and Bonfire night all merging into one.  "Most of the calls are fireworks going off in the street, late at night or where there are old people.  "We had an incident last week when a group of youths fired a rocket and it hit one of my colleagues and exploded after deflecting off the side of his face."  And he added that he thought firework sales should be banned.
"From a personal point of view, I think fireworks should just be for public displays and not sold, as they always fall into the wrong hands."
Cardiff Councillor Lynda Thorne said the actions of a small number of people meant a ban on firework sales had to be considered.  "Because of the irresponsible behaviour of a few we need to take action and maybe ban fireworks." 
And John Munton, of Cardiff Neighbourhood Watch, said that youths throwing fireworks were part of a wider problem of anti-social behaviour.  "If we could curb anti-social behaviour then life would be a lot better," he said.

November 4 2003, BBC - Northern Ireland - On Your Behalf - Fireworks
When we talked about fireworks last week on the programme, we certainly lit the blue touch paper!
Many of you contacted the programme, with very strong views on fireworks. Like this listener. He said: - "Apart from the dangers of fireworks which most people are aware of. You just have to watch the images on TV from Ardoyne during the past week to see the implications.  "The fact that ordinary people trying to live their lives are tortured night after night in their own homes by the noise and disturbance of fireworks is disgraceful.  "I can't even take my dog out for a walk any more, because a normally fearless little Cairn terrier is absolutely terrified.   "Fireworks are fine in properly organised firework displays.  "Most people have no objection to this.  "What they do have a major problem with is young people terrorising neighbourhoods for about 5-6 weeks before Halloween. I have spoken to the police many times about this - they appear to be powerless - as the fireworks are now 'legal'"
And that's what many of you wanted to know - why are they now legal?
And should they be banned again?

November 4 2003, BBC News, Animal Charities seek Fireworks Ban
A Petition signed by almost 75,000 people is due to be delivered to Downing Street, calling for a fireworks ban because of the misery pets endure.
Tomorrow, the Government is expected to announce a partial ban on fireworks after 11pm under a new fireworks act.
But the Animal Welfare Fireworks Coalition says the public wants to see more done to protect frightened animals.
It proposes Fireworks at non official displays be limited to 95 decibels, equivalent to a house door slamming.

November 4 2003, Cambridge News, Our firework blaze misery
FIREWORK terror is sweeping the region.  A huge rocket was exploded inside a telephone box in Brampton, blowing the door clean off, and an elderly couple's family caravan and shed were destroyed by a blaze believed to have been started by a firework.
On Hallowe'en, Roy Hall, 70, and his wife Janet rushed into the garden of their Trumpington home when they saw their shed engulfed in flames. And in the other incident, youngsters near Huntingdon let off a massive rocket inside a phone box, blowing the door off its hinges and sending glass flying across the road.
Anyone with information can contact PC Yaxley at Huntingdon police station on (01480) 456111, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

November 4 2003, Daily Record - HUSBAND `TRIED TO KILL WIFE WITH FIREWORKS'
A CARAVAN park owner appeared in court yesterday charged with attempting to murder his wife with fireworks.
Bryan Donaldson, 55, is accused of abducting wife Margaret, who is also his business partner, at the Glen Dochart Caravan Park, and keeping her captive in a house on the site. It is alleged he grabbed her by the head and attempted to push her face into an open fire, before deliberately igniting fireworks with intent to cause her severe injury in an attempt to murder her.  The incident was said to have occurred last Thursday.
It is understood that police were called to the caravan site, which has facilities for 45 caravans, by neighbours living near to Rose Cottage, one of three houses on the site. The five-star caravan site, now closed for the winter, is popular with trippers using the A85 Road to the Isles and overlooks the River Dochart.
Donaldson, whose address was given as care of the Glen Dochart Caravan Park, Luib, Crianlarich, Perthshire, appeared on petition in private at Stirling Sheriff Court. He made no plea or declaration. Sheriff Peter Anderson granted him bail to an address in Ilkley, Yorkshire.

November 4 2003, Femail_co_uk, Fireworks curfew planned
by JAMES CHAPMAN, Daily Mail
Letting off fireworks after 11pm will be banned as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour.
The curfew will be announced tomorrow - Bonfire Night - by Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt.
However, November 5 and other special occasions such as New Year's Eve and religious festivals are likely to be exempt.

Mrs Hewitt is also expected to declare that the sale of fireworks will be restricted for most of the year. The move is in response to growing concern over yobs lighting high-powered rockets, shattering the peace and terrifying pets.
Britons spend £70 million a year on fireworks for November 5 and celebrations such as weddings and birthdays.
But local authorities have been inundated with complaints about deafening rockets being set off throughout the year.

Ban welcomed
The ban was welcomed by animal welfare groups. Research by the RSPCA suggests that thousands of pets are seriously injured every Bonfire Night.  After last November 5 some 25,000 animals were treated for firework-related injuries or had been so terrified by the noise that they had to be given sedatives.
Helen Briggs, a spokesman for the Animal Welfare Fireworks Coalition, a charity which takes in the RSPCA, Guide Dogs for the Blind and The Kennel Club, said: "Every year we are overwhelmed by
the number of people who contact us for advice or are desperate for tougher laws because their pets are so frightened."

Restrictions
A law regulating the use of fireworks was passed in September and tomorrow Mrs Hewitt will outline how it will be implemented.  As well as restricting their use to certain dates and times, ministers are considering a maximum noise limit on high-powered rockets. It is already an offence for anyone under 18 to buy fireworks, but sources suggest there are likely to be new restrictions on anyone under that age even carrying them.

Besides the noise, ministers are also concerned at the reckless way in which fireworks are used.
In Liverpool, police have called for a total ban following attacks in recent months on a nightclub and a bar. Merseyside Chief Constable Norman Bettison has told how criminals use the contents of fireworks to produce low-grade explosives, coupled with other material to cause maximum devastation.

Guidelines
The British Fireworks Association, which represents registered retailers, already operates a voluntary code of practice. Under guidelines set up this year, fireworks should be on general sale only for the three weeks leading up to November 5 and for a few days afterwards, with a similar window around New Year.
The Animal Welfare Fireworks Coalition believes only fireworks of 95 decibels or less - the equivalent to a house door slamming - should be allowed to the public. The law is likely to be in force by Christmas. The Government has not indicated what penalties will be brought in, although sources close to the DTI said the maximum punishment was likely to be a £5,000 fine, or six months in jail.
Seven in ten children do not know who Guy Fawkes was, a survey has revealed.
One in five thought the November 5 celebrations came from America; 13 per cent believed that they marked the invention of gunpowder; and three per cent said they were held to burn leaves and garden
refuse. Less than one in ten knew they marked the 1605 Gunpowder Plot. The survey of 500 under-16s was carried out by DIY store Focus. Company spokesman Louise Lewis said: "As far as children are concerned, fireworks and bonfires are all that matter. Why it all happens is irrelevant."

November 4 2003, Femail_co_uk, Results of Poll
Should fireworks be banned outside of official displays?
Yes 91%
No 4%
Only large ones 4%

November 4 2003, Get Reading - Firework ripped my bedroom to pieces
A PETRIFIED family fled their house after a firework smashed through a window, RIPPED through a ceiling and BLASTED out through the roof.  Jasmin Ryan and her 63-year-old parents Benjamin and Robertha were left terrified after the rocket tore through their terraced home in Donnington Gardens, East Reading, on Saturday night.
It left a trail of destruction with cracks and 'bullet holes' in the walls of three rooms, a smashed window and holes in the ceiling and slate roof.  Yesterday an angry Miss Ryan said her family was only saved by "God's blessing". Her mother had been in the spare room where the rocket hit only three minutes earlier.
Now Miss Ryan, 35, is demanding an end to firework sales to the public. She said she was in her bedroom when she heard a massive bang.  "It sounded like a bomb and within a few seconds the whole upstairs was covered in smoke," she said.  "Both my mother and I were in a state and we went into the street as I thought the house was on fire. When I think my mother was in there. They could have killed somebody."
She added: "We are blessed. I think God was truly looking after us that evening because the hole is a couple of inches from an electrical light point, so the whole place might have blown up."
Miss Ryan, a legal secretary, said she believed the rocket was so powerful it was either a conventional firework that had been modified or a homemade explosive.  She said she had not previously been anti-fireworks but now thought they should be banned. "They should only be at public displays in open fields and no longer used around residential areas," she said.
Thousands of pounds worth of damage had been caused to the three-bedroom house and Miss Ryan said she thought it would need a new roof.
Sub-officer Steve Andrews, of Wokingham Road fire station, said: "If anybody had been in that room they could have been seriously burned. It shows the power of fireworks and that people don't realise what they are dealing with."
HOT mail took on a different meaning on Friday night when a firework was posted into a Tilehurst postbox. It is thought three children posted the rocket into the box on Water Road at about 9.30pm. Despite a police search there was no trace of the children. The postbox was not damaged.

November 4 2003, Guardian Unlimited  Guardian daily comment  Ban the bangs!
Reformed firestarter Mark Tran explains why fireworks no longer light his candle   I have to admit that I was once a firework abuser. As children my friends and I used to sneak into a building site, climb to the top, insert bangers into empty milk bottles and watch them shatter in mid-air.
That kind of prank seems quite innocent compared to what goes on now, when valuable private and public property is targeted by firework vandals. In Liverpool police are investigating a wave of fireworks assaults, which have destroyed 30 cars and 29 telephone kiosks.
In one incident destined to go down in urban folklore, vandals used fireworks as explosive devices to blow a BMW to smithereens. According to Norman Bettison, the chief constable of Merseyside police, the army bomb disposal team called out to the incident had not seen anything like it in mainland Britain since the IRA campaign. The adapted fireworks, which sprayed shrapnel up to 200 metres, had the potential to kill.
Admittedly these are extreme cases. Nevertheless fireworks have certainly become a nuisance. Around this time of year, urban evenings are regularly punctuated by the whoosh of rockets and bangs so loud that residents could be forgiven for thinking that they are being subjected to their own version of shock and awe. And nowadays, we are not just talking about a few nights a year. The firework season now begins weeks before November and lasts well beyond.
It would be fine if the fireworks were only let off at organised public displays. But instead we are talking about hit-and-run tactics, in narrow alleyways and otherwise quiet streets, that send noise reverberating through our living rooms every evening.
It would be a joy to have fireworks banned outside of public displays. Some countries, such as Australia, have already bitten the bullet. But the authorities here believe this will merely drive the firework trade underground.
There are plenty of measures, short of an outright ban, which the government is thankfully considering. They include an 11pm curfew on the use of fireworks and making it a criminal offence for people under 18 to carry them. Whether these plans amount to anything is another issue, but they at least signal that the problem is being taken seriously.
Today, Tony Blair receives a petition signed by almost 75,000 people, urging him to curb the use of fireworks because of the misery they cause to animals . But it is not just animals and their owners who have had enough. The rest of us would be happy to see fireworks go up in smoke - quietly.

November 4 2003, ic Liverpool - Is it time to ban fireworks
AS thousands prepare to celebrate Bonfire Night tomorrow, we ask ...
Is it now time to ban fireworks? 
SHOULD fireworks be banned?    Yes     72.46%   No     27.54%       

YES, says Norman Bettison, Chief Constable, Merseyside Police THE recent firework incidents have cost police £500,000 in extra duties and man hours and it looks like the total bill for Merseyside emergency services could be around £1m. I am going to London tomorrow which happens to be the 398th anniversary of Guy Fawkes trying to blow up Parliament. 
I hope to present a dossier to the Home Secretary while I am there detailing why I believe there should be a ban on selling or buying high-powered fireworks without a licence. In the last month, there have been 81 industrial-sized fireworks used like bombs. They have damaged or destroyed 31 telephone boxes, 15 post boxes, 35 cars and seven properties.

We have had an explosive ordnance division literally camped on us for the last three weeks and they have put in 702 military hours. We have had 80 calls from the public tipping us off about illegal sales and we have recovered 92 crates of illegal fireworks from a house in Fazakerley. There is the question of the distress and alarm these incidents cause.

But there is a new phenomenon of criminal use of fireworks. Criminality has not changed, but the nature of fireworks has - these days they are little more than bombs. Industrial-size rockets contain 70g of flash powder while military flashes only hold 4g to 12g. The air bombs banned last year had only 1g. Fireworks are also cheaper than ever before: You can buy a packet of 20 ordinary rockets for £5 and if you buy these high-powered devices from the back of a van, they are £5 to £6 each. I want to put Merseyside at the front of the queue for recommending robust measures to tackle this. The ones that are currently coming into being with new firework legislation are pretty wishy-washy. They do not go far enough.

My proposals are two-fold. ·   
Firstly is the control of imports: Most firework consignment land at Felixstowe because it is the only port which is licensed to handle explosives.  Most are then sent on to sellers, but a significant proportion get hitched on to the back of a wagon and disappear. I want to see import controls tightened up so there has to be an onward bill of sale. ·   

Secondly is the control of high category fireworks: We want people to have to get a licence from to be able to buy them. Those fireworks would be marked so we could keep track of them if they are used inappropriately.

November 4 2003, ic Newcastle - Animal charities urge fireworks ban
A petition signed by almost 75,000 people will be delivered to British Prime Minister Tony Blair's front door, urging him to ban fireworks because of the misery they cause animals and their owners.
As Bonfire night approaches, the RSPCA-led Animal Welfare Fireworks Coalition will present the petition and personalised messages to the Prime Minister's home at 10, Downing Street.
In September, a new firework law was passed which allows the Government to regulate the use of fireworks.
But the coalition believes it is now essential that the Government ensures regulations introduced under the new law are strong enough to deliver what the public expects.
The coalition said thousands of animals have already suffered fear and distress due to fireworks this autumn.
A Mori poll of 2,053 adults carried out this month indicated 78% of people agreed loud fireworks should only be allowed at public displays, supporting the coalition's call for quieter fireworks at  private displays.
A spokesman for the coalition said: "Every year we are overwhelmed by the number of people who contact us for advice or are desperate for tougher laws because their pets are so frightened of fireworks in the run-up to Bonfire Night.  "We believe it would make a significant difference if the public was only allowed to use fireworks of 95 decibels (dB) or less at their own displays - the equivalent to a house door slamming."
The coalition believes stories like a terrified horse put to sleep when it broke its leg trying to flee from a nearby fireworks display and a disorientated cat that almost starved to death after running away from a local display, will spur the Government to introduce effective firework controls.
The Animal Welfare Fireworks Coalition comprises Battersea Dogs Home, The Blue Cross, Dogs Trust, Guide Dogs, The Kennel Club, Pet Care Trust, the RSPCA and Wood Green Animal Shelters.

November 4 2003, ic NorthernIreland - Firework Severs Boy's Fingertip
THE parents of a nine-year-old boy who lost his fingertip when a firework exploded in his hand are warning others of the danger that children may be exposed to.  Dylan Phair from Lisnaskea was injured by a 'banger' as he played in broad daylight with other children at Newtownbutler on Saturday, close to the site of the village Hallowe'en bonfire.  He was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children where he was treated for multiple fractures to his hand.
Speaking at his bedside last night, Dylan's mum, Joan, said doctors were unable to save his fingertip. Dylan also suffered nerve damage to his hand.  "He was in severe shock and could not stop screaming and trembling.  "You cannot watch your children all the time, but I feel it is important to make all parents and children aware of the damage that fireworks can cause,'' she said.  "Dylan now realises how dangerous fireworks are. He keeps looking at his hand and saying 'Mum I nearly blew my hand off','' she added.
The children had been playing with sparklers when the incident happened.
Dylan's mum said her child is relatively lucky, that he was not holding the firework close to his face, otherwise she fears he might have lost an eye. Looking perky in his hospital bed, nine-year-old Dylan said he was feeling much better.  The youngster is whiling away the hours playing his computer with one hand.
He said: ''I was outside playing with my friends and I saw the banger on the ground. I picked it up and it exploded. There was blood all over my fingers.  "I didn't cry but I did scream. It was very sore. I ran into the house and told my granda. He was shocked. I'll know never to pick up a firework again,'' he said. 

November 4 2003, ic Surrey Online, Explosion hits high street
ARSONISTS who tossed an exploding firework into the cab of a car transporter started a fire which has destroyed not only the vehicle but the owner's livelihood. Self-employed owner Ian Payne, 43, was in tears as the cab was consumed by flames in upmarket The Drive, Banstead. That was seconds after a mob of 15 to 20 teenagers ran down the road from Tattenham Recreation Ground, lobbed the incendiary into the open window of the vehicle and then ran away jeering. A massive bang from the bomb - believed by police to be an industrial firework - resounded round the area. The firework burst into flames and gutted the cab immediately.
There were fears that the neighbourhood would have to be evacuated. Erith-based Mr Payne said: "Eighteen years of hard work in getting the money together to run my own business from this vehicle have gone up in flames and been ruined.  "I have delivered and picked up cars in some of the worst neighbourhoods in London - Brixton, Peckham - with no trouble.  "When I drove down the road to return a repaired car to a house off The Drive I thought 'nice neighbourhood'. "Now I understand from the police what this area has been suffering from hooligans.  "I work with my own Leyland Daf and two car transporters doing work for insurance companies and was returning a Vauxhall Astra to its owner from insurers Churchill.  "As I was unloading the vehicle, I saw this huge gang coming down the road from the park. They squirted water from a pistol at me but I just got on with the job.  "As I was attending to the unloading I saw them throw this lighted firework into the cab. A huge bang rocked the whole transporter and the flames lit up the road.  "Yes, I am thankful I was not in it. But whoever these kids are they have ruined my life.  "I have contracts I cannot fulfil because I have no vehicle. I am ruined."
Mr Payne is the latest victim of hooligans who mass on the Preston Hawe Estate, in Tattenham Recreation Ground and in Banstead. It's believed they have been behind the repeated throwing of fireworks at shops in the area - fireworks of such intensity they would not have been sold over the counter by normal retailers. A spokesman for Epsom Fire Station, whose appliances attended, said: "It was hundred per cent damage. "It was shocking that anyone could do this and it is a miracle no one was hurt." Police are treating the fire as arson and any witnesses are asked to call Trudy Hall on 01737 386185.

November 4 2003, Mirror.co.uk - FIREWORKS IS IT TIME TO BAN THE BIG BANGS
We have to put up with the noise of fireworks going off for weeks before and after the big day. Is it time they were banned, or is there another solution?

B R from Rhyl, North Wales 
I agree they are a nuisance, but banning them might be a bit too strong. Perhaps they should be more rigorously licensed. Every other newsagent seems to sell them now. Surely they should only be sold through responsible, inspected premises. I say make licenses tougher to get hold of and stamp down on illegal outlets.

November 4 2003, This is Derbyshire - 'A FIREWORKS WAR' FLARES UP IN STREET
A "fireworks war" which broke out between children in a Normanton street sparked fears of someone getting injured.
A resident of Clarence Road called police at 9.35pm on Sunday to say that children were throwing fireworks at each other in the street.
Inspector Nick Jones, of Derbyshire police, said: "The person said that they didn't know if the children were having a fireworks war, but if they carried on then someone was going to get hurt."

The incident was one of five involving fireworks in Derby and Derbyshire that were reported to the police on Sunday.
At 6.50pm, police received reports that six youngsters were setting off fireworks in Albemarle Road, Chaddesden. But the gang had disappeared by the time police arrived.

Youths were also reported to be disturbing residents in Back Lane, Hilton, at 7.12pm by letting off fireworks at a scout hut.

A lit firework was also put in a postbox in The Avenue, Derby, at 9.30pm, but no mail was damaged.
Further afield, in Loscoe, a six-year-old girl suffered burns when a rocket exploded next to her at a family fireworks party.
The girl was watching the display with her family in the garden of their house in Loscoe Grange when it is believed a rocket exploded next to her, causing burns to her left arm and body.

The police and ambulance were called out to the party at 9.39pm and the girl was taken to Derbyshire Royal Infirmary. Her condition is not thought to be life-threatening.

An investigation was launched, but a police spokesman said that after looking into the incident they were certain that it was just an accident.

New legislation in the Fireworks Act 2003 was given Royal assent in September, but this came too late for this year.

The Act will mean certain noisy fireworks, like airbombs, will be banned and measures such as noise curfews will be introduced.
The sale of fireworks will also be restricted to certain times of the year, such as the run-up to November 5.

Legislation from the Fireworks (safety) Regulations 1997 increased the minimum age for buying fireworks to 18 from 16 and outlawed the sale of certain fireworks, like bangers.

Anyone caught throwing fireworks in the street can be fined up to £5,000.

A national insurance company has revealed that November 5 is the worst day of the year for burglary. Norwich Union receives 25 per cent more claims for home thefts on November 5 than on any other day.

Insp Jones said: "If Norwich Union is highlighting this as a problem then people who are having firework displays should lock their doors to keep out the opportunist burglar."

November 4 2003, This is Herttfordshire, Blaze Wrecks Curry House
A BLAZE that tore through an Indian take-away and threatened to engulf flats above could have been started by fireworks. One man had to be rescued as residents living above the Curry Leaf
takeaway in New House Park, St Albans, were evacuated during the  early hours of yesterday (Wednesday) morning.
The blaze at the front of the shop blew out all the windows and was threatening to spread to neighbouring shops.
Mr Gary Hills, who lives in a flat above the shops, said: "I heard this massive bang and went out the door to have a look and just saw these massive flames licking up from below. I went back inside and
woke my girlfriend then knocked on a neighbour's door, but he was asleep so I kicked his door down and managed to get him out."
It took firefighters more than an hour to put out the blaze and it was two hours before residents were allowed back into their homes.
The fire is being treated as suspicious and an investigation team, including sniffer dog Browza, was carrying out an inspection of the scene, yesterday. Mr Aklis Khan, who manages the takeaway, believes it was started deliberately.  He said: "We have had lots of problems with fireworks at the back of the shop in the last month. I think something was definitely thrown at the front probably a firework, especially at this time of year."
Two of his employees had shut up the shop about 11pm on Tuesday night.
A resident who lives opposite the shops said there had been several incidents of fires being started in nearby Birklands Park. Mr Sinchoi Lee and his wife Yaulin own the Whitecroft Fish Bar which is next to the Curry Leaf. Mrs Lee said: "We heard a bang, but didn't take any notice of it as we thought it was a firework. We rushed out and the fire was really strong and it looked like it was
spreading to our shop."
Mr Lee added: "It is frightening if this fire was started deliberately."

November 4 2003, This is Hull - FIREWORK YOBS RISKING ARREST
Firework-throwing yobs could be issued with behaviour orders if they don't mend their ways.
Complaints about a 15-strong mob of youths terrorising Hornsea residents with fireworks and eggs have led to the warning from police.
In the last five years, more than 350 children in East Yorkshire have suffered firework-related injuries.
And today Sergeant Sue O'Donnell, of Hornsea police station, said detectives would not hesitate taking action unless parents started controlling their children.  She said: "Several groups of youths, male and female, have been causing problems in Hornsea.
"Groups of 10 to 15 youths have been running round the town throwing eggs and fireworks at premises, and persons who challenge their behaviour.
"The youths, who are aged between 13 and 16, stretch police resources on Friday and Saturday nights, when their behaviour results in calls for service from the police.
"We would like to appeal to all parents of teenagers in the area to exercise greater influence over their children and monitor their behaviour more closely.
"This type of behaviour may result in police taking action regarding your child."
The police could arrest youngsters for harassment and public order offences.
They could be made subject of anti-social behaviour orders which would see them face tough penalties if they continue to cause trouble.
North Holderness councillor Polly Worsdale said: "I am appalled some young people are doing this. "This is extremely dangerous behaviour and very frightening.  "I would like to see the sale of all fireworks strictly controlled."
Meanwhile, Bridlington fire station's commanding officer Phil Atkin knows from first-hand experience the devastating effects of fireworks.  He was the victim of a firework prank and momentarily lost his sight when he was seven.
Today he urged people to report anyone seen misusing fireworks.
He said: "I would like to reiterate our previous advice notices regarding the safe use of bonfires and fireworks.  "I would ask anyone seeing people misusing fireworks to report them to the police. "As a child I experienced it at first hand when someone threw a firework at me and for a few moments I was blinded.  "I still relive the trauma of it. Throwing fireworks is totally irresponsible."
nicky.harley@hulldailymail.co.uk

November 4 2003, Weston Mercury - Postbag - is it time to ban fireworks?
From J N, Weston
Since my recent letters to the Mercury, I have been 'bombarded' by many phone calls agreeing with my views (none against).  Now I am forced to write to you again on the subject of fireworks. Fireworks explode endlessly from mid October to the end of November.   Now they go off on the sea front in the summer; on people's birthdays and anniversaries and at Christmas and at the New Year.
A friend of mine had to extract a rocket from her garden, which was frozen solid, on New Year's day.  The rocket had buried itself at least a foot into the ground. It would have killed any person or animal in its path.
Modern fireworks are not only very loud (some sound like bombs) but they are also highly dangerous. They keep everyone awake at night and they terrify old people and animals. Come on, North Somerset Council, ban all fireworks except between 6pm and 8pm on November 5 and then only for organised parties.
When there has been a fatality locally, maybe people will take notice of my constant pleas.

November 3 2003, Ananova, Burglars love Bonfire Night
Householders are being warned that Bonfire Night is the worst day of the year for house break-ins, according to research.
Insurer Norwich Union says it receives 25% more claims for home thefts on November 5 than any other day.
And as people try their hand at amateur firework displays, fire-related claims also shoot up 50%.
The cover of darkness and noisy fireworks provide thieves with the perfect opportunity, says Simon Machell, customer services director at Norwich Union. "November 5 is pennies from heaven for burglars. People don't tend to think about home security while they're enjoying themselves on Bonfire Night.
"Burglars often walk in through the front door because people haven't thought to lock it while they're busy with bonfires, barbecues and fireworks."
Norwich Union has analysed claims made since 2000 to create the industry's first insurance index, which this year focuses on household theft and identifies high-risk dates. After Bonfire Night the second most risky day for thefts from homes is New Year's Eve.
Christmas Day sees a 50% drop in the number of theft claims made but accidents involving fire more than double. Burglars were found more likely to pounce on Friday and Saturday than any other day while Sunday is the quietest day of the week for insurance claims.
Norwich Union also questioned more than 500 householders about their experiences of and opinions about crime and found that almost a quarter of people in the UK have been victims of a burglary.
But while almost four in 10 homes have an alarm system, nearly a third of those questioned admit that they don't always activate it.
And despite the fact that nearly half of all break-ins occur through forced entry of the front door, 45% keep their back or front door unlocked overnight.

November 3 2003, BBC NEWS,  Conservatory damaged by firework
A Lincolnshire woman has been left shocked and frightened after a firework crashed through the roof of her conservatory.
Eileen Jones from Mablethorpe said the firework ripped a large hole in the roof.
She discovered the remains of the firework inside her home late on Saturday evening.
Ms Jones has made an appeal to people celebrating with fireworks to be careful where they let them off.
Lincolnshire Fire Brigade said the damage at the house in Mablethorpe was an isolated case.

November 3 2003, BBC NEWS  Programmes  Breakfast  Banning fireworks your comments
We were inundated with e-mails after our story on Friday about a campaign to ban the sale of fireworks to the general public. Here's a selection of your views:

It seems a little strange that we consider it too dangerous to allow properly vetted and licensed adults to have hand guns yet anyone can walk into a corner shop and buy explosives.
T H, Coventry

My first memory of fireworks is unpleasant. A family friend was hit by a damp flare which resulted in facial injury. This was not set of by a person under 18 yrs of age but a middle aged father who was intoxicated. Despite that, I now enjoy firework displays and am planning a small display at home.
H A T, Lincoln

By trying remove all risks from our growing children we stop them learning the responsible level of risk taking. Banning fireworks is just another step in this process of trying to blame someone else for our own inability to have fun but take responsibility.
Neil, Bristol

If the newspaper editor is serious about banning dangerous items to the public, I assume he will be campaigning for banning cars from the streets next. More people are killed per year by cars than by fireworks. He should visit the planet and get in touch with reality before trying to ruin people's fun in this life.
K F, Perth, Scotland

We should ban fireworks. Last night in Birmingham, trick or treaters where throwing bangers into the drives of houses where they didn't get any treats. A case against both fireworks and trick or treating
P P, Birmingham

Many people enjoy putting on their own firework displays - and I am one of them. People should realise it's kids getting their hands on fireworks from newsagents that cause all the problems. Limit firework sales to reputable dealers and stop under 21's buying them. Don't take liberties away from one group of people because of the actions of others.
M B, Nottingham

These days fireworks start at least a month before Guy Fawkes night and continue until after Christmas. Apart from the injuries, the fireworks are getting larger (bigger bang) this is frightening all animals the practice should be stopped. Only commercial firework displays should be allowed. With no sale to the public.
M G, Worthing

Being woken up at two in the morning by some thick-necked lager lout is no fun. Idiots buy loud fireworks simply for their nuisance value. Fireworks now should only be used for public displays
C C, Nottinghamshire

It is time that the sale of fireworks to the public was banned. We are told each year to bring our pets in on bonfire night - unfortunately the bangs go on regularly from mid-October to after the New Year. Our local RSPCA shelter (which looks after small animals such as rabbits and guinea pigs) has animals die of fright each year. I wonder how many wild animals die too?
R M, Medway

Why should everyone be punished because of some immature individuals? After all, rocks would be dangerous in the wrong hands, wouldn't they?
Robin, Southampton

November 3 2003, Daily Record, BANGER BOY'S FINGER AGONY
A TEENAGER told last night how he lost part of a finger when a firework exploded in his hand.
Christopher Martin was with pals when he lit a banger but it blew up instantaneously in his hand, blowing off the end of his left index finger.
Sixteen-year-old Christopher, from Summerston, Glasgow, said: ``I lit it and the next thing I knew it just blew up in my hand.''
His mum, Jane, said: ``If a banger can inflict so much damage, I dread to think what more powerful fireworks are capable of.''

November  3 2003, Daily Record, BONFIRE BAN ON DEADLY ROCKETS
Crackdown to end street terror from display fireworks, By Magnus Gardham
LETHAL fireworks will be banned in a crackdown to be announced on Bonfire Night.
Young neds who terrorise the streets will no longer be able to buy powerful rockets and ``airbombs''.
The clampdown will also impose firework curfews from 11 pm to 7 am and make it a criminal offence for kids to carry fireworks in the street.
Ministers will announce the tough measures on Wednesday.
And they hope to have at least some of them, including powers against shopkeepers who illegally sell to kids, in place by the same time next year.
A key element of the clampdown is a ban on the most powerful display-style fireworks, which yobs are turning into home-made bombs.
Ministers hope to control them by banning the public sale of all fireworks over a certain price.
Bill Tynan, the Scots MP behind the new Fireworks Act, said: ``This is a huge issue we face. ``But if we can prevent the sale of fireworks for the three weeks up to November 5, then I think we will make a real difference. ``Fireworks are simply being used for anti-social behaviour.''
The Record revealed recently how gangs of neds were setting off powerful fireworks in confined areas to create a major blast.
Reporters were shown how a £12 firework stuffed into a metal bin sent shrapnel flying and could be heard up to a mile away.
In Glasgow, the door of a phone box was blown 50 ft off its hinges and four city centre post boxes have been destroyed.
Similar attacks have taken place in Edinburgh and West Lothian and in other cities across the UK.
Hamilton South MP Tynan said he would also continue to press for more powers for Customs and Excise to end the growth of unregulated fireworks caches.
He said: ``We know of one company who imported 40 containers of fireworks but they have no official storage facility.
``I understand they are driving lorry-loads of fireworks to farms and paying the farmers £50 a day to store these very large consignments.
``This year, we were not in time but this is something we will continue to press hard to outlaw.''
A licensing scheme would prevent masses of imported fireworks leaving the quaysides if a driver could not identify the official storage site he was going to.
A spokesman for First Minister Jack McConnell said yesterday: ``We are aware of the concern that people in Scotland feel about the misuse of fireworks. ``Fireworks are going off a month before November 5 and all through the night. People are getting hold of them and using them for the wrong reasons.''
Meanwhile, police plan to search football fans for fireworks before Celtic's Champions League clash with Anderlecht on Bonfire Night.
They fear that nuts may try to smuggle bangers or rockets into the stadium on Wednesday.

November 3 2003, Evening Chronicle, Firework blaze
A MAN was helped to safety from a shop fire caused by a firework thrown through a broken window. The blaze, which happened at a sandwich shop in Whitley Road, Benton, at around 7pm yesterday started in a cupboard at the front of the shop after the firework was thrown inside.

November 3 2003, ic Huddersfield - Mill damaged in blaze
MORE than 50 firefighters were drafted into Huddersfield to tackle a large mill blaze.
Arsonists are thought to have set fire to derelict Paddock Field Mills on Row Street, Crosland Moor, at about 8.45pm last night.  The fire was spotted by a crew from Huddersfield fire station who had just finished dealing with a small fire in Thornton Lodge, where a firework had been stuffed through a community centre window on Brook Street.

The blaze in the mill had ripped through the roof and firefighters from as far away as Stanningley and Rothwell near Leeds and Shipley were drafted in to help crews from Huddersfield, Slaithwaite, Brighouse, Marsden, Elland, Dewsbury and Cleckheaton.
Firefighters finally finished at the scene at 3am today and went back for a final check shortly before 9am.

November 3 2003, The Sun, Tory Ann shocked
TRICK-or-treat idiots put a banger through former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe's letterbox, she revealed yesterday.  MP Ann, 56, who lives with her 92-year-old mum, said: "Not only did my cats run a mile, but my mother was very frightened."  The attack in Maidstone, Kent, was on Halloween. Angry Ann said: "I'd have given them a treat as well."

November 3 2003, The Sun, Tot escapes rocket hell
FIREWORK thugs gutted a toddler's bedroom with a powerful rocket - just minutes after she had left the room. The 3ft missile - used for professional displays - blew off the door, lifted the ceiling and blasted a 1ft hole in the floor. Shattered glass and plaster smashed down on to Olivia Attwood's cot - where the 20-month-old tot had been until she was taken downstairs by her mum Alexandra Ashley because she was having trouble sleeping.
Shocked Alexandra, 29, of Scholes, West Yorks, said: "If she'd been able to sleep, she would have been in her cot and dead. The rocket left the curtains and carpet scorched as it whirled around in the room and exploded. "My bed in the next room was blown away from the wall by the pressure." Olivia's dad Sean Attwood, 35, added: "The people who did this are lunatics."   
West Yorkshire police were yesterday hunting the yobs. Stolen display fireworks are believed to have been sold at pubs and car boot sales in the area. Firefighter Mark Hamilton said: "It looks as though they stuck a launcher in the ground at an angle and aimed it for the house." A West Yorkshire Fire Service spokesman said: "Someone is going to get killed. Fireworks are getting more powerful - some are like small bombs."