General Chat

Well, I like fireworks (the pretty ones, not the very noisy ones) but I also have a dog who is terrified of them but she is also scared of lots of other things - car doors being slammed, gun shots, any flying insect. Most of these can't be banned and, as somebody said, we are supposed to live in a free country.

Yes, there are laws that limit their sale and use, but like a lot of laws, they are ignored by a few (just like the laws relating to dogs)

We are lucky that we now live in an area where there are very few - in fact I haven't heard one yet, although we do have a small display in the village on New Year's Eve. We go to it but we leave the television on fairly loudly and not tuned to channel that will show the displays around the country.

I have signed the petition and shared it on facebook because I do think that they should be restricted to orgainised displays run by professionals with the relevant licences. I have two sons who work for one of these companies and several years ago I did some computer work for them and was very impressed by how safety conscious they were (the MD was a Senior Fire Officer). They advised the local Fire Brigade, Police and Air Traffic Control and the employees were provided with complete protective clothes and visors. Yes, there can be accidents at them but they are very few.

Please, don't use quiet Chinese Lanterns instead - these can and do kill animals and cause fires.

:-D

Some people are so rude - just saying ;-)

I'm saying fireworks shouldn't be allowed every bl**dy night of the year from October to January Errol.
In built-up areas, the sound reverberates - especially the 'depth charge' ones.
.

Imagine having a motorbike revved up outside your front door for 15 - 20 minutes a night. Would you happily put up with that?

Also, read Uzzi's thread , Pets, Vets and Guy Fawkes. I'm just annoyed by the nightly bombardment - imagine what it's like for war veterans.

Oh for heaven's sake.

Think about what you are saying.

'Official' Fireworks in the UK are normally for November 5th, Diwali the Chinese New Year, and New years Eve.
But as so many want to 'benefit' by charging, the 'organised' November 5th ones appear to start on 4th until 8th November :-|

More Cr*p fireworks tonight, including what can only be described as a depth charge, :-P

This big city did not have an "official fireworks display", never does on Hallowe'en.

There is usually a display on July 1st, and at New Year ................ usually organised by one or other outside organisation with input and some financing from the city.

Margee, your lucky your city puts on a display for July 1, ours didn't this year and won't next year cause they want to build another hockey rink. Now yes maybe we need another rink but I don't think we need two offical NHL size rinks in town

Yes we have fireworks for Hallowe'en too, but the town was to cheap to buy those either, although to outlieing areas had them.

Yes, love the idea that we can set off dangerous, polluting explosives whenever we want, but can't burn garden rubbish with the same freedom :-P

That is one of the joys of living in a free country :)

Great, isn't it?

Those laws state the TIMES fireworks can be set off - so, presumably, if someone has a stockpile, they can set them off EVERY night up to 11pm (excluding 'special' occasions)

Forget what I said about fireworks going off until 8 November. 'Official' firework displays are going on until then, so I'll revise the 'joy' of fireworks being set off randomly to mid-November :-|

Absolutely - it is quite ludicrous to ban something (particularly something enjoyed by many or to mark an historic occasion) just because of a minority of idiots.

The law is quite clear as Errol says.

The reality is that the police and any remaining CSOs have other things to do on stringent budgets.

Not that banning them other than for licensed fireworks engineers would change much. I have a friend who runs a fairly large Chinese restaurant ( not a takeaway) and regularly imports fireworks from China without any problem. True they are not for commercial use but they are quite large. Firework displays for all sorts of reasons have become increasingly common the year round.

The huge M5 crash a few years ago was blamed on a professional fireworks engineer though a court found him not guilty.

My cat hates fireworks if he is out and hates being kept in because of them. Twice I have been riding a horse when a totally thick imbecile threw fireworks at it. Very tricky to manage esp large firecracker. Police not interested ( unless the horse kicks the firework thrower ).

In France the dread date is 14 July. One year I lost three nests of swallows to the imbeciles with giant bangers. Before the next year I installed much better security and the swallow numbers have since recovered.

The same sort of people who like to throw fireworks around also like zooming around on mini motorbikes, min quad bikes ( all no license, tax etc ), driving sheds, shooting at things and people's cats and dogs with air rifles, riding drunk on buses and so on and so forth. There is not really much to be done about them except to avoid.

UK law regarding fireworks is quite explicit.

You have to be over 18 to buy them and can only buy them between specific dates unless buying from a fully licensed shop.

As for setting them off, it is illegal to do so (except on designated "special" occasions) between 11pm and 7am and not in public places.

I will sign but that won´t help me over here when they let them off all year round for any little reason :-(

Signed :-)

It was like a war zone round here on Saturday evening, that and hordes of kids banging on the door from 6pm - 9pm.

I won't be happy until they're banned completely.

In my city the sale of fireworks is banned completely, every day of the year. The only fireworks that we see or hear is the display put on by the city on July 1st.

Fireworks aren't (traditionally) meant to be let off in UK until November 5th :-|

Had a load last night - then tonight, and we can 'look forward' to them being set of in the streets/back gardens until 8th November :-| :-| :-| :-|

They could buy enough beer to get well p*ssed on the amount they spend on a few 'whizz bangs' in the street :-|

Maybe children should be taught this little bit of 'housekeeping' at school :-D

well, I hope it works for you guys


We've long had a by-law banning the sale of fireworks in the city until the 1 week period immediately before Hallowe'en. Many other places alos have such restrictions.

It doesn't do too much .................... big kids (ie mid-teens to mid-20s) get fireworks from somewhere for much of the month of October, and let them off at all hours of the day and night.

OH was woken up at midnight last night by fire crackers going off.


One is also supposed to have a license to set off the fireworks


Ha bloomin' ha!


The police rarely catch anyone for setting off fireworks illegally .........

....... the ones doing it are gone almost as soon as a 911 call has been phoned in.

Thank you Lyndi, I have signed, confirmed and shared on Facebook :-D :-D