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Misuse of Fireworks (Essex)

The Petition of residents of Castle Point and others, Declares that freely available fireworks present danger and nuisance to people, property and animals and we believe that the suffering fireworks cause and the cost to emergency services and individuals are totally avoidable; whilst we believe this, we do not wish to prevent the enjoyment of traditional festivals and therefore we urge the Government to amend the firework bill. The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to restrict fireworks to licensed organised displays only at fixed times of the year, to include garden parties in the restricted category, to reduce the decibel limit to a maximum of 85db for all fireworks and to make it illegal to use or posses fireworks without a license. And the Petitioners remain, etc. —[Presented by Bob Spink , Official Report, 29 January 2008; Vol. 471, c. 286 .] [P000115] Observations from the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform: Although a number of people have called for a ban on the use of fireworks by the public, the Government believes that to do so would be regarded by the population at large as an undue restriction on the freedom to enjoy traditional celebrations and family firework parties (weddings and birthdays etc), the great majority of which are conducted in a safe and sensible manner. However recognising concerns over the misuse of fireworks and their effects on animals, the Government introduced in 2004 a comprehensive package of measures designed to promote safety and tackle anti-social or inconsiderate use of fireworks. They include: banning the possession of fireworks in public places by the under 18 age group; making retailers responsible for ensuring that they do not sell fireworks to under 18s; introducing a curfew on the use of fireworks; placing a maximum limit of 120 decibels on the largest fireworks available to consumers; and developing a licensing system to encourage seasonal-only sales (thereby reducing the frequency of noise in the approach to the November season). We believe these measures have substantially reduced the effects of misuse of fireworks, and represent a reasonable compromise between enjoyment and safety.