unclebuck

About time too. Although I do think they should have clamped down harder on inappropriate use of fire works generally, perhaps allowing them only on 5th November and maybe New Years Eve. I really hope that the law comes down hard on the anti-social louts who choose to flout these new rules.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3539880.stm

Cheers

UB

ajm

Once again the minority spoil it for the majority and the Government responds by punishing the innocent.

Ban culture.

Diablo

FFS - what is so bad about :


Fireworks curfew to take effect

Displays on New Year's Eve will have a different curfew

A fireworks curfew with penalties up to a £5,000 fine and six months' jail comes into effect on Saturday.

The ban on fireworks between 2300 and 0700 is part of a range of measures introduced by the government to clamp down on anti-social behaviour.

Exceptions have been made to the ban for major events such as New Year's Eve and bonfires on 5 November.

The measures also make it illegal for anyone under 18 to carry fireworks in public places.

Shops cannot sell fireworks louder than 120 decibels under the new laws.

New Year displays will be allowed to continue until 0100, but Bonfire Night fires must be out by midnight.

???

Seems entirely reasonable and fair to me.

the changes?

Nothing after 11.00 pm except for fair exceptions
Nothing louder than 120 decibels from a shop
Under 18's cannot carry fireworks in public places by law.

D

ajm

The problem is that it sets a precedant that it is acceptable to stop a minority misbehaving by imposing restrictions on EVERYONE.

Instead of trying to clean up our oik society they are trying to remove the opportunity to misbehave by banning things. The problem is that it is possible to misbehave using countless different things. Are all products that carry a risk of being used antisocially going to be banned/restricted?

MattW

Great stuff - means the kids won't get woken up by some to55er at 3am

messiah

I think it would have been better and more effective to raise the age of buying them up to 21 or even 25 - and fines for letting minors have access to them - for both shops and (to some extent) parents.

damian666

Yep messiah - works for cigarettes and alcohol

Dracoro

A minority of people commit murders yet we have a law that says it's illegal that applies to EVERYONE so not sure I understand what you're getting at. The only people who are 'restricted' by this law are the 'minority' as the majority don't break it. At least now we can deal with them quickly and effectively with a nice £5000 fine etc. Laws like this don't bother me at all as I'm never going to want to break it.

minor_threat

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Save disappointing your guests with the new Fireworks Ensemble DVD - buy it today!

Geddon

Fgs- is this the middle/old age corner?!
Have you all forgotten how to have fun?
This is just the Government treating us all like children again
Do fireworks really bother you that much? Its just a bit of fun imo

Dracoro

It's a bit of fun on 5th november or new years eve. It's not fun every bloody night for weeks on end at 1 in the morning.

MattW

Wonderful fun at 3am in the morning on a weeknight listening to the neighbours letting off rockets!!!

The trouble is its not usually nov 5th, but the two weeks before and after when some numpties birthday falls around that time.

Rant off

Audi-Boy

If you care that much make your own, more fun, much louder, cheaper, demolish trees etc etc...



Ah and you don't get to feel shock waves and hear the supersonic booms with puny commercial ****

Leslie

There is a lot to be said for ajm's opinion about banning everyone from doing something because of the sins of the few, except that in this case is is not so few! The problem is to control those who cause so much distress for so many people and their pets with their misuse of fireworks. The police would not be able to cope and I fail to see how they can cope with these new laws in place anyway. at least there appears to be an effort to stop it but I think it may well turn out to be something to impress us all but will actually do very little good in a practical sense.

I wonder why the Indian and Chinese festivals have amnesty until 1 am. while the British festival of Guy Fawkes only extends until midnight! Is this yet another PC pronouncement?

Les

Chris L

Problem is - the minority affect many innocent people too. Anyone who has animals will tell you the effect that fireworks can have on them. It's bad enough around Bonfire night because the fireworks start about month before and go on for weeks afterwards.

If you are unlucky enough to live close to somewhere that uses a lot of fireworks it can be a nightmare. I really feel for the people who live close to hotels such as Hanbury Manor (just up the road from me in Hertfordshire) - almost every weekend they have some sort of firework - normally to do with weddings etc. It's a complete PITA - they've received so many complaints that they've had to stop them.

Chris

Geddon

I personally think cars (and bikes) with loud exhausts are more annoying.
But they're ok with us apparently.....
Peoples' attitudes to some things confuse me somtimes.

ajm

No doubt the police will be out on Guy Fawks ready to fine and imprison people for having their fireworks beyond midnight then!

OllyK

Wire it up through the Surround sound and crank up the volume

Dracoro

I don't they are OK with us if people are revving their engines at 1am every day for weeks on end.

OllyK

I would think the use of fireworks after 11pm will affect most people with kids or pets. It affects them before then, but having them worken up scared at daft o'clock in the morning because some gimp wants to let off fireworks when people are asleep is very annoying. We had somebody letting of 2 or 3 large rockets every night at 15 min intervals from 2.00am for 4 weeks either side of bonfire night last year, and I was definately getting sick of it

OllyK

I do too if some numpty is roaring up the street at 2am. As that hasn't happened in the 10 years I have been living there I don't consider it an issue, fireworks on the otherhand...

I am sure some people are affected by car and bike noise, a neighbour coming home late with little consideration, but at least you have a reasonable idea who it is and can speak to them about it and follow it up if need be. The problem is with fireworks the people setting them off can be nowhere to be seen when the set them off

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

To be fair (or not as I'm Chinese ) the festivals that involve firecrackers are normally burnt during the day or evening and are only a handful of times throughout the year, but I can't think of one occassion (even in Hong Kong) where the firecrackers have been burnt after 10pm!

That said, I don't know of any Chinese families that do use firecrackers in the UK!

Big Chinese festivals that might involve celerating into the early morning with 'normal' fireworks would be Chinese New Year. So 1am like the 'proper' New Year, is that not fair? Although again, I don't know many Chinese families who do this, as it's more important to be together as family, rather than stand in the freezing cold "ohh-ing" and "ahhh-ing"!!!

In my 31 years I have never celebrated a Chinese festival with fireworks, although that's not to say people don't!!

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Aren't there laws for the Police to stop people with loud exhausts?

I thought there were a whole bunch of threads about this when it was annouced about a year ago.

CrisPDuk

Trouble is, the chavs and pikeys who set them off at stupid times all year round do so in parks and on waste ground. So unless a speed camera gets them fleeing the scene, the chances of the ***** get caught are somewhere near nil

However, the chances of some law abiding homeowner with a vindictive neighbour being prosecuted for letting one off at 23:05 (during a party, say) are somewhere around 99-100% I'd say

logiclee

I hope the police will enforce it.

IMO the law should have gone further and banned the use of fireworks other than on certain celebration dates.

We had problems most nights from the start of October to the end of November then again from mid December to mid January.

It's no joke idiots letting off fireworks past midnight when you have to be up for work at 5am.

Lee

Dracoro

Sorry to faceteous but he's not law abiding as he's breaking the law which states the latest must be 23:00, not 23:05. They've got to draw the line somewhere and 23:00 is what they've chosen.

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

I agree with Lee, I don't think the law has gone far enough, I'd like to see a total ban on fireworks unless at a proper organised display by licenced professionals. Last year there were fireworks going off night after night after night throughout October and November until the early hours most nights, even with my earplugs in they were still keeping me awake.

For anyone who's been to Rally GB and had to put up with total tossheads chucking them about and letting them off a few feet away from where you're standing, not to mention firing huge rockets into the crowd you'll know how frightening they are in the wrong hands and how much they can totally ruin your enjoyment of one of the best motorsport spectacles in this country.

I love watching fireworks at big displays where I can enjoy the huge noise and sight of some truly stunning pyrotechnics in a safe environment. Having some stupid ****** setting off a rocket in the middle of daylight about two feet from me just makes me very, very scared.

Buzzer

I think its fookin great

WTF would any normal human being want to let off fireworks after 11.00pm is beyond me (unless of course its on New Years Eve)

I'm sick to **** of that tw@t who lives round the corner from me, letting of huge displays in his back garden at 1.00 and 2.00am. Police have been round on numerous occasions as these fireworks are display ones not the pop / fizzle things in your local shop.

Maybe now we can get some sleep. We've lived in our house for over 15 years and my wife knows the birthday's of all five inhabitants of the house in question, purely through them setting off displays in the early hours.

The last one was a few months ago whilst my daughter was doing her SATs which, made her most displeased. Seemingly 2 fireworks hit the house that backs on to this w@nker and the bloke went round to sort him out. He was told to **** off and that they were only having a bit of fun

We had to close our bedroom windows as thick black smoke was entering the bedroom

IMO Its only the Chavs and Pikeys that do this sort of thing, they have no consideration for others. Just because they dont give a **** about anyone they think nobody should give a **** about what they do

unclebuck

Yep, that "we're only having some fun, where's your sense of humour" is what gets my back up. This sort of arrogance sums up the attitudes of these types perfectly. They are *genuinely* anti-social and it's about time they learned about their social responsibilities. If they can't manage that, then yes, they should be fined heavily as punishment.

ajm

jeez, they're only having a bit of fun!