In the UK, category 2 & 3 fireworks are sold in supermarkets & local shops to any person aged over 18 years of age regardless of their planned use.

The cost of fireworks has become more affordable (£30-£200) for families in recent years and as a result, there has been an increase in the number of firework parties at home, outside of public displays.

Currently, under the Fireworks Regulations 2004, there is a ban on the sale of fireworks outside certain “traditional” period, unless suppliers are licensed, however within the “traditional” period, there appears to be no requirement for suppliers to be licensed.

More of a concern is the lack of a license for the purchase of consumer fireworks (Category 2 & 3), when fireworks are an explosive device and can cause significant injuries to a person or animal if they are not handled carefully.

There are a number of reasons to impose greater restrictions on firework sales across the UK:

1. Domestic Pets
2. Public Injury

Domestic Pets

Firstly, across the UK, there are an estimated 8.5 million dogs, 7.4 million cats and statistics suggest that 1 in 2 households across the UK owns a pet.[1]

Every October & November, millions of pets live in fear & distress with fireworks being set off close to homes,

Whilst the sound of fireworks going off is loud, but bearable for us humans, for animals with their heightened hearing, this must sound like the apocalypse. It’s no wonder then, that our beloved pets are living in distress and fear, especially when your next door neighbours are irresponsibly setting off fireworks in their back garden.

There are many signs of distress in animals, but the most notable is barking, shaking, whimpering and cowering.

The many tablets or remedies available in pet stores simply do nothing to reduce the anxiety and distress caused to our pets.

Public Injury

Fireworks are known to cause serious injury and the NHS figures across the UK reflect the injuries that fireworks are causing.

Across the UK, there were a minimum of 4,537[2] reported admittances to A&E in 2015.

With the average cost of an A&E admittance being £132[3], this makes the minimum cost of firework injuries to be £598,884. This doesn’t take into account any additional medication or life saving procedures required to save the persons life.

Whilst this may not be a lot in the grand scheme of overall NHS costs, I am more troubled by the amount of injuries caused by fireworks sold to the general public.

From the Firework Safety Toolkit[4], a government document on firework safety it suggests that 90% of all UK firework parties are held in a back garden, where alcohol is present, with 84% of those setting off the fireworks having consumed at least 2-3 units of alcohol. The consumption of alcohol increases the risk of injury and affects the ability for adults to supervise children during the display.

In conclusion, we need tighter control and restrictions on where fireworks can be used. Allowing fireworks to explode close to houses is irresponsible and poses a serious risk of injury and damage to property, as well as the distress being caused to millions of household pets around the country.

By implementing tighter restrictions or an overall ban on the sale of fireworks to the general public, this will significant reduce the amount of injuries caused and reduce the distress and anxiety caused to our beloved pets during this period.

References:

[1] RSPCA - https://media.rspca.org.uk/media/facts

[2] NHS Reports -

https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/sites/default/files/publications/dhssps/hs-fireworks-2015.pdf​

http://content.digital.nhs.uk/searchcatalogue?productid=20143&q=title%3a%22Accident+and+Emergency+Attendances+in+England%22&sort=Relevance&size=10&page=1%20-%20top

[3] NHS Costs - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/477919/2014-15_Reference_costs_publication.pdf

[4] Firework Safety Toolkit - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/31865/10-1038-fireworks-safety-media-toolkit.pdf