Fireworks: Sale and Use

Sarah Owen Excerpts

Monday 8th November 2021 Westminster Hall

[Sarah Owen (Luton North) (Lab)]

It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mr Twigg.

On Saturday night, I received an email from a Luton resident, who told me:

“We can hear fireworks every single night. Without exaggeration, I counted, they can go off every 10 minutes between 6 pm and midnight. Sometimes at 1 am. The stress caused by them is enormous and growing. My child is terrified. To a point where she screams and begs me to stop them. We have to put on a white noise sound on a tablet in her room in order to reduce the sound of the bangs. If she wakes up, she cries, shivers and goes back to sleep with earmuffs on. Before bedtime she begs me for no fireworks. Mental health in our family is in pieces. I am genuinely worried about the wellbeing of my daughter. We can’t live like this.”

I start with this message because I am not sure I could have made the case better myself. They finish by telling me:

“Please, help us, somehow. This is too much to deal with. We feel trapped and powerless.”

Their voice adds to those of over 300,000 people who have signed this petition telling MPs to act.

I love bonfire night, new year’s eve, Eid, Diwali and the lunar new year. This is not about being anti-fun or anti-celebrating when it comes to our diverse British traditions. But it just cannot be right that it is so easy to get hold of fireworks and to cause nuisance to others. For some, fireworks are not about celebrating but about causing a nuisance. My fellow Luton MP, my hon. Friend the Member for Luton South (Rachel Hopkins), recently found boxes of used fireworks. Their names showed that they were not about celebrating or about the beauty of fireworks, but about disruption. They were called “Rain of Terror” and “All Out War”.

Over the past few months, I have been inundated by people getting in touch to ask that MPs make it harder for fireworks to cause chaos to their lives. That is why I introduced a private Member’s Bill to tackle the misuse of fireworks. It is clear that the law needs to change. Ahead of Second Reading of my Bill early next year, I hope to include a minimum £1,000 fine for use of any fireworks past the existing 11 pm curfew and to reduce the production and availability of louder fireworks, as well as access to them. Importantly, the Government must consult on the impact of fireworks with veterans’ charities such as Combat Stress and animal welfare charities such as the RSPCA and Dogs Trust.

However, I am not naive—I know where most private Members’ Bills end up—so I ask the Minister to meet me as soon as possible to discuss the measures I want to outline in my Bill. The last time we debated this, the Minister responding confirmed that the Government do not consider a ban on fireworks to be an appropriate course of action, so I ask the Minister today, what action do they consider appropriate? Why are we all here if we are so rigidly unresponsive to the voices of the people who send us here? I want to help my constituents. I hope the Minister will work with me and Members here today to end the misery that people are facing.

--- Later in debate ---

[Paul Scully]

Scotland has put forward some proposals and there has been a consultation; I am interested in seeing what happens there. I am also aware that the Scottish Government are drafting a Bill on fireworks to be introduced next year; that primary legislation is still at the proposal stage. My officials engage regularly on the matter with officials in the Scottish Government; it will be interesting to reflect on what happens in Scotland as a result of that work.

We are continuing to engage with local authorities to understand the issues they face, and I am committed to working with my colleagues in the Home Office to ensure that the Government provide appropriate support.

[Sarah Owen]

I am glad to hear that the Minister is willing to work with Members, so I reiterate my question: will he meet me to discuss the subject and the measures outlined in my private Member’s Bill? What we have heard so far is that the current restrictions are failing people. What we are not seeing from Government is new action that will tackle the misuse of fireworks.

[Paul Scully]

I will happily engage with the hon. Lady on her private Member’s Bill.