Call for fireworks ban after police come under ‘unprecedented pressure’
- Recent attacks in Ashton-under-Lyne spark firework debate
- Some believe they are not safe for personal use
Calls have been made to ban the use of fireworks from residents whose homes and neighbourhoods are coming under increasing attack.
Ashton-under-Lyne is reported to have been turned into something resembling a ‘war-zone’ because of youths letting off fireworks in the street and making residents tro scared to leave their homes.
The panic caused by these incidents has made people question whether fireworks are safe to be purchased for personal use or if they should be banned altogether.
Andrea Boggiano, 21, from Sale said: “I think they are safe, but they’re dangerous when idiots launch them at people because they’re basically explosives.”
Ryan, 30, a retail merchandiser from Glossop, said his neighbourhood had come under siege from fireworks.
“They are being set off at 10pm and have gone off for the past six nights with neighbours being told to shut up when they complain,” he said.
“One of the rockets landed in my rabbit hutch measured just under 70cm long and frightened my rabbit so much to the point we’ve struggled to feed her the past few days. I wholeheartedly back the ban on fireworks for personal use.”
They are technically legal explosives containing gun powder. If it was a bomb, would it be legal?
However, some believe that the total banning of fireworks for personal use would be a rash decision.
Joe Gaskell-Burnup, a student at the University of Salford, says: “It would be a shame to take the ability to purchase fireworks away from those responsible citizens because a few people decided to misuse them.”
Police say the concern among residents is putting pressure on them to act quickly.
Tameside Inspector Lee Derbyshire said: “We want people to feel safe and are trying to bring people together to solve these issues. Finding out more about who is selling them or where people are getting them from can help us to prevent serious incidents.
“In Tameside we are under unprecedented pressure and are having to make difficult decisions minute by minute. We need to get the message out that anti-social behaviour can have serious consequences.”