Merry xmas everyone,

Well, I appologise up front for bringing up fireworks again, of course they were going off again last night and no doubt will continue up to and way beyond new year, interesting term firework NIGHT isn't it .... but this one has to be a new low, out with our dog for a quick walk and sniff around, as she's still a pup, this morning at ... wait for it ... 06:10 off they went again, two bangers, not only were they heard by us but my parents also heard them and they live about 4 miles away.  They're letting fireworks off at 10 past 6 in the mornin on xmas day, how much is enough ?!?!?!

Have a great day everyone.

CJG

PS I was going to make a slightly political comment about the government getting of their turkey stuffed &£^'s and sorting this out, but it's xmas so I didn't ... ;-)

we have had them awell for the past week I was really worried about Abby but i have been lucky she sleeps right through it. It was me that got the fright of my life when they first went off. Is it me or are the getting louder?

No, it's not just you Abbysmum, they def ARE getting louder.
Merry Christmas xx

I think that because they haven't been banned then the line between fireworks people should have and shouldn't is probably ignored from the sound of a lot of them they must be using something like those banned air bombs.

If the government dedicated a 1000th of the time to this problem that they do to new stealth taxes we'd all be a lot better off.

10 past 6 in the morning is ridiculous, that has no purpose other than to annoy people.

Unfortunatrely their are many fools in this world that keep fireworks "in their attics" for later use.The stockpile of this type of firework will take some time to exhaust.

Tesco's have been selling fireworks on a Buy 1, Get 1 free recently...so if you want someone to blame, write to them!   We had a firework let off around here at 12.30pm yesterday, the dogs went bananas....

Took my lot out for an Evening walk both Xmas Eve and yesterday, road walking as hadn't a chance with festivities to do the park in daylight hours.

There were lots of fireworks being let off, and thankfully none of mine turn a hair, and the puppy was taking her cues from her older relatives.  The only thing they sometimes do is bark at them if the back door is open, thiniking we are being invaded.

I really pity any sound sensitive dog in this day and age.  My Belgian was very sound sensitive and it used to take her until after Christmas to stop jumping ast every sound following Guy Fawkes night, now she would be in permanent misery and apt to run away if off the lead.

Unfortunately that's the way a business will work though, if there's a demand and it's legal they'll sell them, it's the governement that need to step in.

One of the most annoying things about fireworks is the incredible double standards of it all, if you went out walking around the streets at all hours banging a drum or throwing burning cardboard into your neighbours house whenever you felt like it I'm pretty sure you'd eventually be arrested, make the drum a banger and put the cardboard into a rocket tube and that's fine though!!

I think the strongest argument for me is the one I mentioned on a previous firework thread.  Imagine no one had ever heard of fireworks before and they were a brand new invention. Then they went on sale and people behaved exactly as they have this year, every incident still occurred, kids still roamed the streets throwing them around. How long in minutes does anyone really think it would take the government to act.

And those arguments are before we even reach the far more important ones of the suffering they cause animals and people every year.

Trouble is, how on earth are they going to police any type of restriction.  If they ban the sales, then they will go underground and maybe become more dangerous.  Education in neighbourlyness would help.  It's very true to say if they were invented now, they wouldn't stand a chance of being legal.  I really used to enjoy having our fireworks in the back garden when the children were young.  The thing was then it was only 1 night out of 365, for about 30 minutes and we always went around to neighbours to tell them which evening and at what time we would start.  Now we are bombarded with them all times of year and yes, we've had them in early morning too, although not recently. 
Lorna

Hi Lorna,

I think that the firework problem is split into two main areas, firstly there are adults using them without any consideration and secondly you have teenagers using them dangerously and to annoy people.  I don't think either of these groups would make any real effort to get hold of fireworks illegally if they were banned as it would be the same as trying to get hold of firearms and explosives illegally (to a lesser degree of course).  It would cut down the problem massively, it wouldn't solve it altogether but then people can try and get hold of underground much more dangerous fireworks already if they want.  The problem at the moment is that it seems like absolutely nothing is being done about the current situation, as they're not illegal.

I do realise that there are probably of lots of very sensible considerate people who use fireworks but I think it's a case of idiots ruining it for them these days.  To be honest I think if you like fireworks then an organised display is far better anyway, how many people could afford, or even be allowed to purchase, the fireworks used there.

I hate fireworks and if i had my way i would ban them or make them available to adults over 21 who had to splash out on an expensive licence to obtain them my old dog jack was so frightened of them he had to go on medication. we had one thrown at us two years ago off an idiot frightened the life out of us both. They are dangerous I have never bought any and have no intention of ever buying any and have you seen the price of them?

This is exactly the sort of behaviour that calls for them to be banned because make no mistake there's basically nothing you can do about this sort of thing, the police wont and can't really do anything if they're kids, you chase them to hand them over and you're going to get into serious trouble, we're just expected to put up with it and it's ridiculous.

I have a suggestion, ban them and fine the parents of any kid caught with them £1000 and if they can't pay the fine send them to jail.  Now I admit this sounds very harsh, until of course you remember that Britain is a place which can use the exact punishment I've just described for .... I'm sure some of you have guessed .... yup, watching television without a license, that most heinous of crimes unlike the fun and games that is throwing lighted explosives at people.

Some people claim it's the nanny state again so they shouldn't be banned, but wake up and smell the coffee we already live in a nanny state wouldn't it be good to at least get something that is of use and benefit the general community !!