Tonne of fireworks seized ahead of Bonfire Night campaign

Fireworks and missiles were thrown at police officers in Niddrie, Edinburgh in 2023

Police in Fife have seized a tonne of fireworks worth £42,000 ahead of the Bonfire Night period.

The items, which police said have an explosive content of 163kg, were discovered in a van in Rosyth on Monday by officers acting on intelligence.

A 24-year-old man has been arrested and placed under curfew from 31 October to 6 November. He will appear in court at a later date.

It comes as Police Scotland releases a new video showing the impact of past disorder at this time of year on emergency services workers, bus drivers and members of the public.

Last year, police and firefighters said they were "bombarded" by missiles and fireworks in incidents reported across the country.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said crews were attacked in Clydebank, Edinburgh and West Lothian.

About 100 young people clashed with riot police in 2023, with fireworks and petrol bombs being thrown directly at officers in the Niddrie area of Edinburgh.

Insp Scott Casey said he was hit in the chest by fireworks

In the video, Edinburgh police officer Insp Scott Casey recalls his experience of being deployed to the disorder in Niddrie two years ago.

"We were getting attacked with fireworks, we were getting bricks thrown at us," he said. "We were getting pots and pans that had been looted from a nearby shop thrown at us.

"I specifically was targeted with fireworks. I had about six or seven fireworks that hit me in the chest.

"After about half an hour or so, I turned around to my right and I saw a massive flash of orange on the right hand side. And that was when the petrol bombs started coming in."

'Horrific injuries'

He said one officer was hit with a brick to his thigh and another was hit with a firework on the leg.

"I believe there's another officer that got a firework trapped underneath his visor and exploded, so some serious and horrific injuries," he added.

A Lothian bus driver, Tony Beecher, said he was driving during the Bonfire Night period and heard an "almighty crash" when his bus was hit by a brick.

He added: "It takes a split second for you to lose your attention and that can have significant consequences, not just for you but for everyone on the bus and everyone else that's on that road."

Mr Beecher said his colleague was also targeted during this period when an object was thrown through the cab door and gave him "life-changing" injures to his eye.

The Police Scotland film also heard from Catherine, a mother whose 11-year-old son Max was injured by fire.

She said he and his friends had set a fire to jump their bikes over for a social media video.

But Max was seriously injured after an aerosol can he was holding near the fire exploded. He was left with third-degree burns to his legs.

"He had shorts on and his whole legs were just peeling," said Catherine. "I'll never forget the screams that came from him that night.

"The pain and stress that we've gone through as a family, that five or six weeks of him recovering. It was awful."

She urged parents to speak to their children and warn them of the dangers of playing with fire.

More than 60 people have been reported for their alleged involvement in fireworks offences over the Bonfire Night period for 2024.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs said the short film made the point that "actions have consequences".

"You're not just messing about, you're having an impact on individuals' lives," he told BBC Scotland News.

"You're affecting their health, you're affecting their wellbeing, their psychological health. You're also drawing resources away from keeping your community safe and protecting the public."

Last week, Police Scotland launched Operation Moonbeam, its annual public order response to violence and disorder over the Bonfire Night period.

ACC Mairs said the force had done "everything we possibly can" to avoid a repeat of the disorder in previous years.

He added: "As someone who's experienced significant disorder myself, it does have a profound impact on you.

"So the purpose of the video is to put the people back into those uniforms.

"We work really hard to make sure that we're getting that balance between protecting the public and not putting our officers in a position where they're becoming the target of that disorder."