Fresh campaigner hope over anti-social fireworks

A new bill urging tighter restrictions on firework noise along with stricter rules for sellers has started to make its way through parliament

Campaigners in Bradford have welcomed news that national efforts to toughen up laws around anti-social firework use had reached the next stage.

The city had been plagued for years with rockets and other fireworks being let off at all times of the day and night, a Bradford Council official recently said.

A new bill urging tighter restrictions on noise levels as well as stricter rules for sellers had started to make its way through parliament, with a major debate due to be held in January.

The Bradford 4 Better group, which had long called for a legislative overhaul, said the latest steps, alongside a second bill started by Bradford South MP Judith Cummins, were "a positive move".

Shabaz Hussain said the lives of family members had been made miserable by year-round "air bombs and rockets screeching through the night" in the city.

Shabaz Hussain says regular anti-social fireworks in his neighbourhood deeply impacts his autistic daughter

"I want something done," he said.

"I think there are various people out there who hold a responsibility to make things happen."

Mr Hussain's daughter is autistic, with the impact on her - and subsequently everyone around her - very difficult for the family to deal with.

He said the loud sounds meant she didn't sleep, with her family and neighbours disturbed by her distressed reaction which can last for several hours.

Dr Khalid Abdulraziq, now from Bradford but originally from Palestine, says the nightly fireworks trigger traumatic memories

For Dr Khalid Abdulraziq, the noises trigger post-traumatic stress from his time living in Palestine and Iraq during conflict.

"Whenever somebody's shooting the fireworks, it's triggering the feeling of hiding myself under the table or under the bed, all the time," he said.

"It's terrifying actually, I start feeling a panic attack, it's automatic."

He continued: "My brain goes back [and I remember] I'm in the UK and it's impossible this is a war, but if I was new in the UK and a friend told me there was a war outside I would believe him."

Sarah Owen recently gained a first reading for her new fireworks bill, with the MP for Luton North calling for stricter rules for sellers and a 90 decibel limit on noise from fireworks - an equivalent of lawnmower noise.

"At the current levels, it's 120 decibels, which is the same loudness as a rock concert or an aircraft taking off," she said.

"No one wants to stop any fun or any celebrations, but it's about making sure that it's safe and it is considerate for everybody around us.

"At the moment, we haven't got that balance."

MP Sarah Owen's fireworks bill has had its first reading in parliament and will return for a second reading in January

In England and Wales, it is illegal to set off fireworks between 23:00 and 07:00, except on Bonfire Night when the cut-off is 00:00.

The window extends to 01:00 on New Year's Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year.

For private use, fireworks can only be bought from registered seasonal sellers from 15 October to 10 November, from Boxing Day until New Year's Eve, and three days before Diwali and Chinese New Year.

Kash Ahmed, from the Bradford 4 Better community action group, said if the private member's bills brought by Owen and Cummins did ultimately pass into law, it would "really help reduce anti-social behaviour linked to fireworks".

"The fact that it is getting a little bit more priority after so many years of campaigning for a lot of us in Bradford and around the country, I think it's really pleasing to hear," he said.

'Comprehensive review'

At a recent meeting, Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, once again acknowledged that anti-social fireworks were "aggravating" for thousands of local people.

The council said it believed existing legislation and local authority powers had not kept up with the increase in both availability and power of fireworks to the general public.

It called "not just for a change in the law but for a full, comprehensive review so we are able to respond".

The government's Department for Business and Trade previously told the BBC public safety was a "priority", but insisted "councils and the police have powers to protect the public from misuse and harm".

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