Published on 12, July, 2020
It is, unfortunately, that time of the year when fireworks become an increasing menace to many people and animals.
I have submitted 14 separate occurrences of fireworks to Firework Abatement UK (https://fireworkabatement.wordpress.com/fireworkslog/) since I found the website in April and I encourage people to submit their own reports to the site. The organisation seems to be doing a decent job of trying to improve the regulation of fireworks and submitting data will help the cause. Perhaps one day will be be rid of the fireworks menace.
You may also wish to support the RSPCA's firework campaign calling for an urgent review of firework regulations:https://www.rspca.org.uk/getinvolved/campaign/fireworks
What is it exactly that you are trying to achieve? I'm quite fond of fireworks so I wouldn't want you to be "getting rid of the fireworks menace" thank you very much! I agree there probably needs to be some "common sense" regulation around them - e.g. not too late at night except on New Years Eve perhaps, not too often, but I think wanting to get rid of them all would not be a very popular thing to be asking for...
I like fireworks too, and wouldn't want to see them abolished. But abatement isn't about abolition, anyway.
Organised displays at appropriate times of year - festivals, Guy Fawkes Night, New Year - are well enough. But fireworks are available all year around (I've a shop near me that sells only fireworks) and people use any excuse to let them off: a birthday, an anniversary, a barbie, etc. They go off without warning and can scare the hell out of people. And they can also terrify animals. When I was growing up, you would get fireworks going off in the lead up to Guy Fawkes Night and perhaps a few nights afterwards. But where I live - in a small town - you can get them going off all the time on weekends during the summer.
That's why I agree - I think we all do, actually - that they need to be properly regulated. Including prosecuting any people who haven't applied for a permit, say.
It's a really difficult issue to deal with, I can see that. Even with a system like permits, it's going to be hard for someone to notify hundreds or maybe thousands of people that they intend setting off some fireworks one evening. It isn't like loud music, which might affect a few houses at best, a few streets at worst. The sound of fireworks carries for a long way - and is usually sudden and unexpected. Liking fireworks as I do, even I jumped out of my skin one Sunday evening a few weeks back when someone let of a few of those barrel-bomb things. I actually thought it was gunfire!
In some ways, it's another example of people saying 'I'm going to do what I like, whether you like it or not.' Quite a selfish thing, really, when it's something potentially so anti-social.