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.

Ah the annual fireworks debates on MN! As much a part of the calendar as bonfire night itself. Fireworks are fantastic. Chavs throwing them is bad, but a limited problem I would’ve thought. And dogs? Well dog owners seem to have shitted up everywhere now… nowhere is free of them - hotels, cafes, parks, beaches, shops, pubs, restaurants… even John Lewis… so we get a few nights of fireworks. No big deal.

I don’t like them because the noise is unfair on animals. I would prefer for them to all be silent.

I love watching them but I wish that the sale to the public was restricted and that organised displays (including weddings) were restricted to set days each year.
And its not because of my animals, but the memory of my poor mum who had dementia and was absolutely terrified of the sound. She had to have sedatives in the end, but that could only be done a few days

I love watching an organised firework display,especially if it's choreographed with music.
I don't think fireworks should be sold to the general public.
I worked in the NHS and I can't forget seeing a man who had been hit in the face after someone threw a firework into a bonfire.The poor guy was blinded and was left without a nose.
Just horrible .

I've bought a small selection of low noise, small display fireworks this year. They all fizz and crackle, no bangs.

We'll be going to big official displays once our son is older, but the timing is wrong for us since he's a toddler.

Just for displays only

Love them

Litter. I'm sick of picking up pieces of fireworks that the party holders haven't gone out to look for.
If you're going to throw litter in the sky you should jolly well be out there picking up every last scrap of it.

I like fireworks when I'm actively wanting to see them.

I live near a cricket club there bonfire is tonight. That's OK plenty of warning.

But having experienced a firework put through the letter box and experienced being sat in the car while a muppet set a rocket off that came horizontally straight at us. Had a massive boxed firework on the doorstep resulting in a row with a policeman. Fireworks going off at all times of day and night being woken up or nearly having accidents in the house due to the sudden unexpected bangs. And no not upset anyone the house is just in a weird area. I'd ban the sale of them.

And right on cue, firework just been set off. Just one. What's the point? It's half term here this, so that could explain the day time ones.

Organised events only, the lay person cannot buy them

Friend's son (17) lost his eye two years ago because of a firework

So he's only got one eye, for the rest of his life, because of a firework

I worry that “set dates only” would naturally be the most popular dates in the U.K. and minority groups or expat communities would not be able to celebrate their festivals.
I live somewhere we get them all summer long and have just got used to them. We can also hear shooting pretty regularly so I guess local pets must be desensitised.

I don't see this happening. We're a pretty inclusive country and I'm sure that fireworks would be allowed for Diwali, Eid etc.

Fireworks are exciting and a lot of fun, especially for kids, so I wouldn't want to see them banned completely. However, they are stressful to wild animals, pets, people with PTSD, autistic kids etc. so some sort of controls and improvements would be good. Also rarely discussed is the air pollution side of it!

You can get good quiet fireworks now, so I see no reason why we should still be selling loud ones (and some are soooooooo loud!).

From a safety perspective I'd lean towards organised displays only but I can understand why people want them at home too.

I'd absolutely support limiting them to specific days. It would help people who find them difficult, for themselves, family or animals, to plan to avoid them or mitigate the effects.

Care would have to be taken to be inclusive though - so along with bonfire night (and weekends close to it) and New Year, dates would need to be set aside for Diwali, Chinese New Year etc.

We are sheep farmers & every year have to scour the fields looking for the miscarried foetuses as a result of fireworks. Often find distressed ewes desperately trying to bring a part formed foetus to life.
Even worse is ewes running through fences & slowly dying or straying onto roads.
We only just break even on the farm (we both work supermarket night shifts) so every lamb lost is not just animal suffering but our livelihood .
If we are losing animals this way then wildlife - endangered migratory birds, hedgehogs, bees etc will also be.suffering.

If people want to let the things off in cities then no problem but there definitely needs to be restricted zones near to livestock & national parks, national landscape (formerly AONB)., SSSI etc.

I'm in the Republic of Ireland and fire works are not legal to sell to the general public. If you are up around the border then people just go across to northern Ireland but I'm 5 hours away from the border and heard no fire works at All last night.

It’s not just dogs though, is it? It’s horses, livestock, wild animals….

I am sick of selfish entitled people who don’t have any empathy for animals. It’s actually disgusting that so many people exist who don’t give a dam about any species other than their own. A dog died locally a few nights ago due to fireworks. Somebody’s beloved pet. But you wouldn’t care about that, would you? Because your brain needs sparkly lights and bangs for entertainment.

I love fireworks, but would fully support making them quieter/silent, and organised displays on designated days only. I am not a fan of 'home' displays as my dogs are terrified of fireworks and my neighbours have big displays in their garden each year which are extremely loud and they never let anyone else know the date/time they'll be doing it so I end up spending the whole weekend away from home to avoid it which is a bit of a PITA.

Silent fireworks is like having a bouncy castle but refusing to blow it up.

My neighbours dog was hit by a car .. so let’s ban those as well.

I also heat a few hundred thousand cows, pigs and sheep died as people wanted to eat meat

Try living in Sussex, many towns have a Bonfire Society and you could go to a bonfire every weekend in October, that's without the big celebration in Lewes which is always on November 5

Personally, I wish the New Years Eve celebrations were drones I just think of all the pollution. Still do like the local town displays - it's a real tradition down there

It's fair to worry about the wild animals being terrified and that does concern me. My dad did some great fireworks displays when I was younger but I would never light my own, just in case.

I adore going to or seeing fireworks displays. They fill me with such joy. I don't mind when the neighbours let them off and my dog couldn't care less. None of my dogs have been bothered so maybe my view is skewed but I can't stand when people moan about their dogs being scared of them - you knew dogs were scared of them when you bought the dog. Why expect the world to change for you? Similar to buying next to a pub and being surprised there are drunk people talking loudly in the beer garden. Annoying but expected.

I used to like them until I understood the damage they do to animals (household pets and wildlife) and the dangers of them in the wrong hands.

I have no issue with fireworks at any time of year. However I don't have dogs, cats or young kids so I appreciate that I'm probably biased.

But you’ve just said your dog isn’t scared of them, so clearly not every dog is.

Why should people not have a dog in their life because they ‘might be scared on bonfire night’?
People moan about their lack of sleep when they have a baby, but it doesn’t stop them having one, does it? Your argument is ridiculous.