THE SALE of fireworks to the general public should be banned – that’s the view of almost 80 per cent of Standard readers who took part in our online poll.
With Bonfire Night taking place this week and displays being held across the country, we asked whether the sale of rockets and other fireworks should just be confined to those putting on organised displays.
The survey went across our newspapers’ Facebook pages in Bromsgrove, Redditch, Kidderminster and Droitwich.
Almost 1,700 people responded and 79.8 per cent of them (1,349 out of 1,691) said they would like to see firework sales to the general public banned. A total of 16.7 per cent of people (278) said the law should be left how it was and fireworks should continue to be on general sale and 3.8 per cent (64) said they did not mind either way.
There were some variations in the different towns – Bromsgrove had the the highest percentage of people wanting the general sale of fireworks banned with 83 per cent, Redditch was next with 81 per cent. In those two towns, the number who wanted the law to stay the same was 13 per cent and 17 per cent with the ‘don’t mind either ways’ at four and two per cent respectively.
A total of 76 per cent of Droitwich Standard readers and 71 per cent in Kidderminster wanted fireworks only to be sold for organised displays only. The highest percentage against banning the sale and leaving the law how it is now was in Kidderminster (26 per cent of people).
When the post containing the poll was put up on our Facebook pages, the top reason people gave in the comments for their decision was because of the impact on their pets and other animals.
Animal charities’ response
Animal charities, including the RSPCA and The Dogs Trust, put out information to help people lessen the stressful impact fireworks have on pets and animals.
As well as Bonfire night, fireworks are set off around this time of year for other celebrations, such as Diwali, and again on New Year’s Eve.
According to research by the Dog’s Trust, almost two thirds of people (65 per cent) surveyed by YouGov on its behalf said they would back greater regulation of fireworks and, of those, 94 per cent said they would like to see restrictions on the dates and times fireworks could be used.
Picture by The Dog’s Trust. sOf the same group, 89 per cent said that they would support fireworks being limited to licensed public displays only, while 77 per cent supported limiting sales to low-noise fireworks for both public and private events.
Figures highlighted by the RSPCA show more than one in five households (22 per cent) would be holding back garden displays and this caused concern to 66 per cent of the nation’s pet owners.
Carrie Stones, campaign manager at the RSPCA said: “Thousands of animals suffer every year due to fireworks, sometimes with devastating consequences.
“With more than 6million households set to let off fireworks this season, animals face a really tough time again.”
Ahead of Bonfire Night, the RSPCA urged the public to think about its displays and the impact on pets and animals and has called on people to sign its petition for a change in legislation.
The public can contact their local MP to advocate for stronger firework laws and protect all animals – from pets and horses to livestock and wildlife.
The charity’s recommendations include reducing the noise level of all traditional fireworks from 120dB to 90dB and limiting the sale of consumer fireworks to category F1 and F2 (the quieter ones) and only then to specialised/licensed shops.
Picture by the RSPCA. sThe charity feels there should be designated ‘firework free zones’ in areas where fireworks are likely to have a greater impact on animals, the environment, and vulnerable people.
And, where firework-free zones are in place, local councils would be encouraged to organise their own alternative displays instead.
The RSPCA also wants to reviewing regulations surrounding alternatives to fireworks, such as drone displays, given their economic potential and benefits to wildlife and the environment.
Visit: rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/fireworks for more on the RSPCA’s campaign.
* WHAT do you think about fireworks and the way they are legislated? Email: [email protected] with your views.
