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Original poster

Fire works

23 replies

hmb · 10/10/2004 08:14

Thank goodness they have finaly brought in a law to hand out on the spot fines to people messing round with fireworks.

This includes under age kids caught with fireworks in a public place, people letting off 'display' fireworks not in a display. And anyone letting off firseworks between 11.00pm and 7.00 am on any day other than bonfirenight, new years eve, chinese new year and divali.

About flipping time!

OP posts:

Papillon · 10/10/2004 08:18

well apart from all that... nice to see you are still about hmb

in NZ alot of fireworks are baned now because of the damage caused every guy fawkes

Freckle · 10/10/2004 08:33

Wish it included time before 11pm. Someone has been letting off fireworks every night this week round here. My poor dog is losing the plot.

tigermoth · 10/10/2004 08:57

It will be interesting to see how this law is applied around here. The community is very multi racial and firework celebrations happen throughout the year. And in November/December kids need no celebration reason to let off fireworks every evening. There would have to ba a policeman on every corner to impose on the spot fines.

The noise doesn't affect us personally, but if I had a small baby or a nervous pet I would be much more upset.

I think the best way to ban kids messing with fireworks is to ban all selling of fireworks to individuals - only let people with a special licence buy them for group displays.

Original poster

hmb · 10/10/2004 09:03

I think that they have tried to be sensitive to the ethnic diversity issue by recognising the chinese new year and divali. Don't think that there is a religious link between firework and Eid?

OP posts:

Skate · 10/10/2004 10:20

I agree Tigermoth - just for groups etc. I can't believe teenagers can just go in a shop and get them - it's frightening AND not all adults are to be trusted with them in their own gardens either.

Eek, do I sound like a killjoy?!? I'd just rather there were organised displays myself.

GeorginaA · 10/10/2004 11:21

I agree with the organised displays only crowd.

I know someone who was badly injured last year, because some yob lobbed a firework into a crowded pub. Don't know if they caught him in the end. I very much doubt an £80 spot fine is going to be that much of a deterrant.

SoupDragon · 10/10/2004 11:36

How about July 4th for all the Americans over here? Is that exempt too?

Freckle · 10/10/2004 12:15

I'm amazed that anyone, let alone teenagers, can afford to buy the blasted things. They are so expensive - and then just go up in a puff of smoke, so to speak.

I have to sedate my dog on bonfire night as I know that there will be a lot of fireworks that night. But as the world and his wife choose to let them off for weeks beforehand and afterwards and often at other unpredictable times, I have to put up with a very distressed dog as I obviously cannot keep him sedated long-term.

GeorginaA · 10/10/2004 12:28

Freckle - they don't seem to be expensive around here! Tescos were selling fireworks here from around 60p last year (presumably bangers). It makes me so .

Original poster

hmb · 10/10/2004 13:22

You can fire them off on any day, but not after 11 and before 7.00. think that is reasonable. And independence day isn't the same as someone's religious festival. Seperation of church and state and all that.

OP posts:

KateandtheGirls · 10/10/2004 13:35

No, Independence day isn't a religious holiday, but neither is Bonfore Night or New Year's Eve, so I don't really understand your last post hmb.

Having said that, I agree that fireworks should be illegal except for organised displays.

JJ · 10/10/2004 13:43

Plus, Independence Day reminds you lot we kicked your....

I think it's fair enough not to be able to let off fireworks on 4 July in the UK.

I've got little opinion on this in the UK as we do it when we visit the US (nearly shot myself with one of the big ones last year!). But we're very rural. I don't like them in urban settings... if the bottle rocket will end up in someone else's land, it's too urban for uncontrolled fireworks in my book.

KateandtheGirls · 10/10/2004 13:44

Right JJ, that's the reason they don't want firworks on 7/4!

Skate · 10/10/2004 13:49

Don't see why you can't have them on 4th July over here if people want them. It's a celebration isn't it? People have them for their weddings sometimes so that's just a personal celebration.

JJ · 10/10/2004 13:53

KateandtheGirls,

Yeah, yeah... just had to post that, though. hee hee...

Original poster

hmb · 10/10/2004 14:03

no-one is saying that you can't set off fireworks on july 4th. you just can't do it between 11 at night and 7 in the morning! the only days that you can set them off between these hours, are two traditional uk celebrations, and two religious festivals for people who live in the uk. i know that bonfire night isn't a religious festival, but we hace been doing it for 3 centuaries. I don't expect them to allow extras for, say, Bastile day either.

No -one is banning firseworks, just setting them off in the middle of the night. I don't think that is unreasonable.

OP posts:

KateandtheGirls · 10/10/2004 14:07

OK, now I see what you're saying. I still don't think anyone was suggesting that Independence Day is a religious holiday.

Skate · 10/10/2004 14:07

hmb - oh sorry, I misunderstood - not reading properly as I should really be working so flicking between MN and excel spreadsheet !

Original poster

hmb · 10/10/2004 14:09

No Kate, I also realise that. The point I was making was that the only expections that were made were either for traditional British celebrations or for religious reasons. 4 July doesn't count as either, expect that it is my Auty Lou's birthday

OP posts:

KateandtheGirls · 10/10/2004 14:10

Fair enough hmb!

prufrock · 11/10/2004 10:11

I am so glad this is happening. We used to live in a flat right on the Thames, and the local kids used the path outside our windows as a place to set of fireworks every night for a month before bonfire night - we (the residents committee) spoke to the police but they said there was nothing they could do. Hopefully this year my old neighbours won't be so plagued.

(I used to work for an American bank by one of my collegues in the States what I would be doing on my day off tommorow (this was on the 3rd July). She seemed genuinely suprised when I explained that we didn't tend to celebrate the US gaining their independence from us )

Mirage · 19/10/2004 21:40

I hate the wretched things.They've started going off here already & it will be like this now until New Years Eve.

I'm no fan of the nanny state,but would happily make an exception for fireworks.

wellsie · 19/10/2004 21:51

Mirage, snap. Every night I pray DS (9.5mths) won't wake up - so far so good, but would really like to know where people get the money to set off these fireworks ALL THE TIME!!!

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