Clampdown on noisy fireworks agreed for Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth

A call to clampdown on excessively noisy fireworks is one of a series of measures agreed by Warwick District Council.

Further legislation could see the need for all public firework displays to be advertised in advance and a campaign might be rolled out warning of the harm and suffering that ‘big bang’ devices can bring.

Clllr Bill Gifford (Lib Dem, Leamington Milverton) put forward a notice of motion at yesterday's (Wednesday's) full council meeting urging the government to limit the maximum noise level of fireworks to 90dB for those sold to the public for private displays.

This was later amended by Cllr Jonathan Nicholls (Lab, Leamington Clarendon) which added three further strands. He called for a report to see if the council could insist that all public firework displays in the district are advertised in advance to allow residents to take precautions. His amendment also requested that the council promoted a public awareness campaign about the harm that fireworks can cause and that Warwickshire County Council was asked to encourage the sale of ‘quieter’ fireworks to members of the public.

Speaking on his original motion, Cllr Gifford said: “This is not designed to stop the pleasure of true firework displays. I’m sure we can all remember the fireworks of our childhood which in my case consisted of a few sparklers, Roman candles, a Catherine wheel which almost always got stuck, a handful of slightly disappointing rockets and a damp squib - and we were truly thrilled.

“Since then, fireworks have become ever more sophisticated. Unfortunately, alongside the visual spectacle, some have become far louder and over the last five years or so there have been massive detonations that have been available to buy.

“These explosive fireworks have nothing to do with celebration or pleasure in my view but an awful lot to do with anti-social behaviour. They cause misery to pets, wildlife, young children and vulnerable people.”

There was widespread support for both the original and amended versions with Cllr Sidney Syson (Lib Dem, Leamington Milverton) suggesting they would allow people to put the sparkle back into bonfire night.

Cllr Nicholls added: “Fireworks both delight and cause damage and distress. The delight is that they are a simple part of the celebrations of Hallowe’en, November 5th, Diwali and Chinese New Year but there seems little reason why fireworks are so noisy and cause so much distress and harm both to animals and vulnerable humans.

“Some years ago we lost a much-loved dog who, maddened by days of bangs noise, rushed out of our house when someone came to the door and we never saw her alive again.

“We should use our influence and powers to bring about change.”