Spotlight: Fireworks, the Legal Explosive? Part 3
Bangers and Crash: Dealing with the menace of 'legal' explosives - Fireworks
Fireworks and Legislation - Section A:
Fireworks should not be sold by anyone to people who are under the age of 18 years old according to the The Fireworks (Safety) Regulations 1997.
Sellers of fireworks must register their premises with the local Trading Standards Department or their Fire Authority. Firework sellers must follow formal storage/display and packaging guidelines for all types of firework.
Failure to comply with any listed requirements could well result in a prosecution and a fine of up to £5000 and also a prison sentence of up to six months, or both.
There are two distinct categories of fireworks and The Fireworks (Safety) Regulations of 1997 indicate the fireworks that can be supplied to members of the public. Other types of fireworks under the 1997 Regulations can only be given to a group of individuals and organisations that are within a restricted category.
Only the following kinds of fireworks can be supplied and sold
to persons who are under 18 (caps, cracker
snaps, novelty matches, party poppers, serpents and throwdowns must
not be supplied to people who are under 16):
The following fireworks must not be supplied to the general public:
-
Aerial shells, aerial maroons, shells-in-mortar and maroons- in-mortar
-
All bangers (including ‘batteries’ containing bangers, such as Chinese Crackers)
-
Mini-rockets
-
Fireworks with erratic flight (e.g. ground spinners, jumping crackers, squibs)
-
Some Category 2 and 3 fireworks (as classified by BS 7114) which exceed size limits specified in the 1997
Regulations -
All Category 4 fireworks
It is also recommended that sparklers are not given to Children under 5 years old (the heat from sparklers can be many more times hotter than boiling point).
Retail Selling of Fireworks:
Within a code of practice that is voluntary, the fireworks industry has made an agreement that fireworks should only appear to be generally on sale to members of the public during the three weeks before November 5th and a short period following this date. There is also an understanding that fireworks should also only be sold between the dates of 8th December and January 1st.
How to report retailers for breaking the guidelines?
Contact your local trading standards office. You can find your local office by typing in your postcode at Trading Standards UK.
Top