Fireworks can add excitement to any celebration, however if not used wisely, fireworks can cause serious injuries and even death. This month environmental health officers at Huntingdonshire District Council are raising awareness of the dangers of fireworks.

Fireworks cause hundreds of accidents every year. One area which still gives cause for concern, are the number of injuries to children. A lot of these injuries are caused by children fooling around with fireworks and could easily be avoided. Injuries are often caused by people not handling fireworks properly. Many do not follow instructions or light more than one firework at a time. It is also important to remember when using sparklers to keep a bucket of water nearby and never throw discarded fireworks onto a bonfire. Always wear gloves and avoid nylon clothing as this material can melt onto your skin.

A few safety tips to follow are to keep fireworks in a closed box, follow the instructions on each firework, never go near a firework that has been lit, even if it hasn’t gone off, it could still explode, always supervise children around fireworks and keep pets indoors. By using common sense, you can avoid being an accident statistic this year.

It is important to ensure that fireworks are not set off in locations and at times of day that will cause unnecessary annoyance to other residents. The Firework Regulations 2004 prohibit the use of fireworks between 11:00pm and 07:00am on the days leading up to and following November 5. On November 5 the use of fireworks must cease at midnight.

If you are a school, business, or voluntary organisation and are planning an event for the November 5 celebrations or would simply like to find out more on the safety of fireworks you can visit our firework page or the Department of Trade and Industry website using the link to the right.