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WEST YORKSHIRE Fire and Rescue Authority has successfully prosecuted a man for the illegal storage of fireworks.Terence Hartley, 47, who was also prosecuted by HM Revenue and Customs, will serve a total of 18 months in prison.
Mr Hartley, from Halifax, was prosecuted by the fire authority after he was found to be dangerously storing
33 cartons of fireworks and 34 loose fireworks – with a total net explosive content of 157kg – in the living room of his house.
He admitted breaching Regulation 10 of the Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations 2005, relating to illegal storage, and was sentenced to six months for this offence. The law stipulates that anyone storing more than 5kg of fireworks at home must have a license or registration, unless it is for less than 24 hours.
Mr Hartley was also pros-ecuted by HM Revenue and Customs for four counts of evading duty on cigarettes and rolling tobacco. For these offences, he was given four separate 12-month sentences to run concurrently.
The court heard in mitigation that Mr Hartley had stored the fireworks under duress, for other persons he was unwilling to name.
At a previous hearing in January, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority was granted a deprivation order for the removal and destruction of the fireworks.
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