05 November 2023 , 11:00
996
0
Bonfire Night fireworks are an event that many look forward to, with their bright and dazzling lights and exciting bangs.
But for others, they can be a real nuisance, waking up sleeping children, or upsetting and stressing out pets. Guy Fawkes night comes with rules and laws as well, should you be planning on lighting up a few rockets, roman candles and the odd Catherine wheel. Stocks of the mini-rockets are in short supply due to a change in regulations caused by Brexit, and the supply chain crisis, so there may be fewer bangs going off than normal. For those that manage to get their hands on fireworks, there are rules and laws that when ignored could lead to fines or even a prison sentence.
Where and when can I use fireworks?
The government said: "The law says you must not set off or throw fireworks (including sparklers) in the street or other public places." Fireworks should not be set off between 11pm and 7am except for the 12am cut off on Bonfire Night and New Year’s Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year, when the cut off is 1am. Fines for selling or using fireworks illegally are unlimited, while a £90 on-the-spot fine can also be issued. Prison sentences can reach up to six months.
Buying and using fireworks - the rules
Supermarkets have short-term licenses between 15 October and 10 November, 26 and 31 December and three days before Chinese New Year and Diwali for buying fireworks. For the rest of the year, fireworks should be purchased off licensed sellers. Anyone over 18 can buy, carry and use category one, two and three fireworks, according to The Fireworks Regulations 2004 and The Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015.
Over 16s can only buy, carry and use category one fireworks. Category four fireworks require a professional license and are not on sale to the general public. A category one firework is known as an 'indoor' firework and are the least dangerous. These include things like party poppers.
James Norton says he thought the ending to Happy Valley was 'sort of perfect'
Category two and three fireworks are 'garden' and 'display' fireworks respectively. Category two "present a low hazard and are intended for outdoor use in areas such as small gardens". While their more powerful category three sisters "present a medium hazard, which are intended for outdoor use in large open areas such as field". There are also hazard types for each fireworks, as Dynamic Fireworks list on their website:
- Hazard Type 1 (HT1 or 1.1g fireworks) – can present as a very high hazard with potential of mass explosion.
- Hazard Type 2 (HT2 or 1.2g fireworks) – present a serious projectile hazard but does not have a mass explosive hazard.
- Hazard Type 3 (HT3 or 1.3g fireworks) – Has a fire hazard and minor blast and projectile hazard but does not have a mass explosion hazard.
- Hazard Type 4 (HT4 or 1.4g fireworks) – presents a low fire hazard and with no significant blast or projectile hazard.