To ask your views on fireworks?

[LlynTegid]

I am sure there will be many on MN who have views, if threads in previous years are an indication. So I'll start the discussion here.

My opinion is that there should be designated days only, and organised displays. Probably no more than five or six such days a year. Allows for celebration, reduces possibility of injury, and warning so you can be indoors when they happen and protect any person or animal.

Set days would be good. I have a stressed and panting dog lying on me atm.

Yep. You get the gist. And Chinese New Year etc.

I personally think organised events only for firework displays. They shouldn't be sold to the public either. Too many halfwits don't know how to use them responsibly.

Why are people allowed to buy explosives over the counter?? It makes me so angry.

Same reason they can buy gun cartridges.

Seriously the outrage is off the scale! Maybe write to your MPs instead of whinging on local facebook groups?

I don’t whinge on FB groups actually, but thanks for showing me that you’re an idiot.

100% organised displays only.
It’s day 2 of multiple firework displays on our street for Diwali and day 2 of my baby being startled awake every 5 mins crying (which has a knock on the next day), my pets scared shitless and another long sleepless night for me.
I’m already exhausted and this will be a regular occurrence until NYE 😭

Some jokers must be out tonight🤡

I have two fannies in my street with modified exhausts making it sound like a jumbo jet is entering and exiting the street each and every time. Completely unnecessary. Pisses folk off.

Thanks, not sure why people doing lawful activities stresses you out so much. As I say, ranting here wont change anything. Have a word with your MP.

Meanwhile us back garden firestarters will enjoy sending cat3 fireworks into oblivion.

I love fireworks and bonfire night but having just lost our old Labrador who didn't bat an eyelid to them leaving our terrified terrier barking and shaking under the bed refusing treats makes me sympathise with others

I wish retail would stop selling explosives to the public, personally. And as for the people who buy them I don't know why they don't just take a few 10 pound notes and set fire to them.

I like a proper organised display as much as anyone - though these days I'd rather watch a laser or drone show - but we currently have two frightened cats under the bed.

Thanks, neighbourhood numpties and nitwits.

@Jifmicroliquid

It makes me angry to hear stories like that. A friend of mine is frightened of fireworks, we were at a house party years ago and some knob head thought it would be funny to set off a firework, it came in the house from the back garden and exploded burning her leg.

I would rather they were banned from general sale. It is the minority of idiots that do these things but the damage that one or two idiots can cause for the sake of 5 minutes of entertainment in the back garden makes me feel it’s not worth it.

I do love a good display though myself

That poor lady, she looked so vibrant and full of life still. How have the people (I won't call them 'boys') who did this only been charged with manslaughter? What exactly did they think was going to happen when they put a lit firework through somebody's letterbox? And I bet the poor lady, being elderly, had carpet and it went up in seconds!

I really do not get how any Joe Bloggs with bad intentions gets to buy these things over the counter more easily, in sone cases, than they can acquire alcohol. Where's the commonsense?

In my area of London it goes on all year and there is a volley from the estate behind me literally going off as I type. It's the stupid weak rubbish fireworks that are noisy with a rubbish measly l, utterly unimpressive spray. Then theres the air bombs. Where they get those I don't know. What's the point other than to cause noise?

I have severe asthma and no one mentions the respiratory distress caused by all the smoke. Yes even with the windows closed I notice it and sleep pretty badly on Guy Fawkes night.

@DysonSphere
I know it’s bloody heartbreaking. A lovely woman missing out on the rest of her life and all her friends and family missing her because of two mindless idiots.

They should be banned, watching my dog so scared has been truly heartbreaking. The posters who have suggested white noise as a solution obviously have no clue! And as for it 'passing quickly' well we had fireworks last night and my dog was still petrified the next morning and couldn't go in the garden. The actual fireworks might 'pass quickly' but they remember!

We've just spent nearly £140 at the vet's on anti anxiety medication just so our neighbours can have their fun. And that's a lot of money for us. Really intrigued as to how WE are the selfish ones here.

But thats as irrelevant as to banning fireworks as is banning cars cos someone ran over somebody, or guns cos someone was shot.

I love fireworks but not at 2am like last night.

And they don't need to be so loud that they sound literally like bombs going off.

They're dreadful

Drones are so much prettier too

@RichardOsmansFreakishlyBigHand
Um...I am in England and in an English county and within an English borough council and an English parish council
We've had two displays this evening. One at a local school at 6pm and one at the sports venue at 8pm both lasting 30 minutes each. Tomorrow there will be two more at similar times.
So I have known exactly when it was safe to let my cat out and my neighbour knew when they should walk their dog. Right now it is silent. There are no bangs and whizzes going off randomly and I have not had to give my cat unnecessary medication to calm him down.
I'm fully in support of a free and fair country Richard but stop to think - just because we can do a thing, doesn't mean that we should.

That’s so awful!

Every year at school, we had an assembly from police officers who’d give a presentation on how dangerous fireworks are. One time the whole school got sent home early because the nearest school were planning to start a firework fight after school. It’s ridiculous how accessible they are

For goodness' sake, it is within the wit of humanity to ensure disability access to fireworks within organized displays. The last display I went to (not in the UK) had a wheelchair accessible route and priority stand, and disabled people and any carers with them could use these areas. If there is a car park involved, there should already be some kind of disabled parking to ensure access.

As for "if it costs money, it discriminates against poor people," I'm afraid this argument could be used to get rid of any rules or laws whatsoever. Having to have driving lessons and pass a test costs money, so should we get rid of driver's license requirements and allow a free-for-all on the road?

Some people upthread suggested that private organized displays in the UK (not run by the council) have worked fine, so a system of "Diwali, Nov 5 and NYE only, and any organization wanting to do a display will have to register and get their fireworks via an approved route" would be fine. I have no particular issue with places like golf clubs doing some fireworks on limited days per year - I think if there is an actual registered organization involved, we can rely on them not to do things like shove them through people's letterboxes, throw them at pets or horde the fireworks to use at unauthorized times of year.

You sound lovely. I bet in reality you are a moany git most the time and yet have few friends to moan to.

I think there's no real justification to allow people to fire explosives into the air when it causes so much trauma to wildlife, pets and other humans.
I'd live with organised licensed displays on designated dates because at least you could sort of plan around those dates. But now it's impossible. My dad has dementia and gets very frightened and agitated by fireworks. If it were just on bonfire night I could take him somewhere remote. But it isn't. There have been fireworks going off for weeks already, sometimes during the day too, which defeats the purpose surely.

I love fireworks but I believe they shouldn't be for public sale.

Kids where I live have been setting them off in the street and causing mayhem

I think they are too available and are too disruptive these days. They have been going off all night here and still going now at past 1am. Some of the fireworks are like bombs going off, it's ridiculous.
They should be totally banned from sale to the general public and only used for organised, responsible displays.
Tonight, I have had several notifications from my NextDoor app, regarding dogs and cats who have bolted and gone missing because they've been frightened by the noise. Not to mention the wildlife it disrupts. People are selfish in the main and have no thought for anyone else but themselves.
I went to primary school with a boy whose family decided to have some fireworks at home. One ended up accidentally going rogue and ended up getting stuck in his coat. It basically blew his hand to pieces.
I'm sure if this happened to a relative of the people who constantly call us fun sponges and who "love" fireworks, they'd be singing a different tune.

I think noiseless should be the only ones available to the public. Our council stopped putting on displays years ago, that should be brought back.
Besides that, kids round here are throwing lit fireworks at other people in the street, at buses going by, all hidden by their balaclavas. No punishment whatsoever because it's so widespread the police won't bother coming out. They stopped even coming out for burglaries a couple of years ago. They chuck bricks through peoples windows nightly. Police won't come out for that either.
Teeny bopper thug life in the streets every day, but then they get fireworks at this time of year. Fucking ridiculous.