Organisers apologise after fireworks hit children

Media caption,

Crowd hit by rockets at fireworks display

  • Published

Organisers of a fireworks display have apologised after several people, including two children, were hit by rockets.

Mynyddgarreg Hall, near Kidwelly in Carmarthenshire, said it was "sorry for any distress caused" at the event on Tuesday.

It added safety had been paramount in the 30 years it had run the display, but one rocket "unfortunately did not fire in the direction intended".

One mum said her children "never want to see fireworks again".

The hall added there had been no serious injuries reported and said it was working with the local authority to review its procedures.

The firework malfunctioned about three minutes into the half-hour display, hitting Rhian's sons Oliver, seven, in the neck and Charlie, 11, in the ear.

She said: "They were coming towards us then going off, we didn't know where to turn or if more were heading towards us, so we rushed back as fast as we could."

Her sons were "totally traumatised" by the event, she added.

Rhian said she heard a lot of angry parents asking for refunds, but staff did "not seem to know what was going on".

Image source, Alan Wall
Image caption,

Gemma was visibly hurt after being hit in the face by a firework

Another attendee, Alan Wall, said his partner Gemma was hit in the face while the back of his daughter’s coat was struck by a firework spark.

"We saw the first one skimming across the grass and exploding in front of us," he said.

In a panic, Mr Wall said he pulled his daughter into his chest and crouched down because "they were bouncing everywhere".

"It was extensive, the amount of fireworks that went off in the crowd. It was a mad rush to leave."

Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it received a call at 19:26 GMT on Tuesday "after fireworks had flown horizontally over a crowd" but its crews were not needed at the scene.