Opinion : Are you fed up with the sound of fireworks in the middle of October?

As October marches on, and the autumn rolls in, the sights and sounds outdoors change to indicate that summer is well and truly over.

Gone are the sounds of children’s voices playing outdoors, the green leaves on the trees and the lovely sunsets that round off a warm summers evening.

Instead by 6.00pm dusk is usually drawing its cloak over a shortened day and the world is best viewed from the comfort and warmth of my drawing room while sitting in my favourite armchair.

The world is not silent though as the crisp autumnal silence is, at it was this evening, punctuated by the occasional sound of a firework exploding in the distance.

It’s three weeks to Guy Fawkes night yet already the youngsters are letting off fireworks. From my imprecise detection methods the firework sounds mostly seem to come from the direction of the Castlefield estate.

Fireworks are very expensive these days so where on earth do they get the money to purchase them? I fear the muffled booms and bangs are financed by people not spending their Jobseekers Allowance wisely.

Of course the sound of fireworks going off can cause pets and animals extreme distress, as far yours truly is concerned the laws on the use and sale of fireworks should be tighter.

At the moment fireworks (including sparklers) can only be purchased from registered sellers for private use on the following dates in the year :

• 15 October to 10 November.
• 26 to 31 December.
• 3 days before Diwali and Chinese New Year.

At other times fireworks can only be purchased from licensed shops.

The law says you must not set off or throw fireworks (including sparklers) in the street or other public places. Fireworks must not be set off between 11.00pm and 7.00am, except for :

• Bonfire Night, when the cut off is midnight.
• New Year’s Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year, when the cut off is 1.ooam.

However it seems that Councils are able to make local rules for setting off fireworks.

In my opinion the law should be changed in order to stop distress to animals and pets and the annoyance of people, like my good self, who are fed up with hearing fireworks being set off in the middle of October.

If fireworks can only currently be purchased 3 days before Diwali and Chinese New Year then why not extend the curfew on their sale to 3 days before bonfire night too?

Further restrictions on the sale of fireworks would mean that fewer people would be injured resulting in savings for the emergency services. If those wasting their social security benefits on fireworks could not purchase them so early maybe they would divert their money to food and warmth?

Surely there is a case to be made for a total ban on fireworks? After all with so many organised displays taking place each year why not ban the sale of fireworks to private individuals to make the masses go to safely organised displays most of which give a portion of their profits to charity?

Selling small explosive devices containing gunpowder to ordinary people is, in my opinion, a very foolish and dangerous practice. I’m surprised the powers that be still allow it.

What do you think?

*My blogs are published every Tuesday and Friday evening around 8.00pm here on the WycombeToday.com website.

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