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LEADING organisations in the UK fire industry have called for more effective action – including possible changes to legislation – to improve fireworks safety.
The Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CFOA) and the Local Government Association (LGA) are pressing the Government to carry out a ‘root and branch review’ of the way fireworks are regu-lated in England. With 20,000 tonnes of fireworks imported each year – 20% of which are thought to be circulated in an illegal market – the two organisations are pressing for greater controls on the import, storage, distribution and sale of fireworks, with fresh attention to Internet access and distribution.
Les Byrom of the LGA said: ‘Local people continue to be blighted by the misuse of fireworks. There needs to be more effective control of what are essentially explosives. Some safeguards are in place but the legislation needs to be revisited as it may no longer be sufficient.’
The move comes amid warnings from the Fire Brigades Union that emergency services and the public are being put in danger because of confused regulation, lack of monitoring and poor labelling of imported fireworks.
Ahead of Bonfire Night on 5 November, the Union said that major fireworks incidents – including the December 2005 explosion at Marlie Farm in which two firefighters died – showed that regulation is hampered by too many agencies being involved, and that ISO containers may not be appropriate for the storage or transportation of fireworks.
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