Thousands Call For Public Fireworks To Be Banned In The UK

A petition proposing to ban fireworks in public in the UK has reach 17,000 signatures.

The petition, which was launched at the beginning of October, has blow-up as Bonfire Night approaches and will require the government to issue an official response as it has now passed ten thousand signatures.

The petition's creators claims that fireworks can 'cause alarm, distress and anxiety to many people and animals'.

Credit: Parliament.uk

The petition calls on the government to: "Change the laws governing the use of fireworks to include a ban on public use Fireworks cause alarm, distress and anxiety to many people and animals.

"We call on the Secretary of State to make appropriate provision to secure that the risk of public use is the MINIMUM that is compatible with fireworks being used, as stated in Fireworks Act 2003 sect 2."

If it reaches 100,000 signatures, it will be considered for a debate in parliament. It follows a similar petition which gained 168,160 signatures last year.

Credit: PA Images

That petition received the following official response, last year: "The government recognises the concerns raised about the use of fireworks by the public, particularly the potential distress caused by the use of noisy fireworks to pets, livestock and the public, and injuries caused by accidents and the misuse of fireworks.

"Many individuals enjoy being able to hold private fireworks displays at home, and have a sensible and responsible attitude to their use. Indeed, the majority of the public who use fireworks do so in a safe and considerate way; it is only an anti-social minority that uses them dangerously and inconsiderately.

"There is maximum noise level of 120 decibels on fireworks sold to the public, and local authorities have powers to deal with excessive firework noise. There is also a prohibition on setting off fireworks in a public place, enforceable by the police with tough sanctions for non-compliance."

The law currently states you must not set off fireworks in the street, or between 11pm and 7am, except for on Bonfire Night, New Year's Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year, which have a slightly later cut-off date.

Featured Image Credit: PA Images

Topics: government, UK News, News

James Dawson

James Dawson is a Journalist at LADbible. He has contributed articles to LADbible’s ‘Knowing Me, Knowing EU’ series on the EU referendum, the 'Electoral Dysfunction' series on the 2017 general election, the ‘U OK M8?’ series tackling mental health amongst young men, and for its ‘Climate Change’ initiative in partnership with National Geographic.

@thejaytoday