Fireworks organisers 'will need to be more considerate in the future'
A Somerset council will be pushing for tougher restrictions on firework displays to prevent distressed pets and “stampeding” livestock.
Somerset West and Taunton Council approved a motion on Tuesday evening (December 15) calling on those planning public firework displays to give greater notice to their neighbours.
The council will now write to the government, calling on ministers to bring in laws restricting the maximum noise levels of any firework sold to the public.
Licensing officers will also carry out a campaign to educate and advise the public to take all the necessary precautions to protect animals during displays.
Council Sarah Wakefield, portfolio holder for the environment, brought forward the motion at a virtual full council meeting on Tuesday evening (December 15).
The motion was based on proposals put forward by the RSPCA, with a number of minor amendments, and comprised four elements:
Recommending and advising all public firework displays within the district to advertise the event at least seven days in advance
Actively promoting public awareness of the impact of fireworks on animals, the elderly, vulnerable people and the environment
Lobbying the government to introduce legislation limiting the maximum noise level for all fireworks sold to the public for private displays
Encouraging local firework vendors to stock “quieter” fireworks for public displays
Ms Wakefield said that there had been no public firework displays in the district since the coronavirus pandemic began, and there were “relatively few” private displays in gardens on or around Bonfire Night.
She elaborated: “We can’t tell people that they must let people know seven days in advance, because we can’t enforce it – we have no powers to do that. We can however strongly advise people to do this.
“We’re asking the government to introduce legislation to limit the maximum noise level – and I think it is the loud bangs which cause the problems really for animals and livestock.
“I have a friend who has animals stampeding as a result of fireworks held in a party house. This sort of thing can happen all year.”
The RSPCA claims on its website that around 62 per cent of dogs show “signs of distress” as a result of fireworks, along with 54 per cent of cats and 55 per cent of horses.
The British Horse Society has reported 20 deaths, ten severe injuries and 88 mild to moderate injuries to horses involving fireworks since 2010.
Councillor Caroline Ellis said: “While fireworks are tremendously fun and we don’t want to spoil people’s fun, we want to encourage people to use them more responsibly.
“Back in November there was a zebra at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm near Bristol who was startled by a firework nearby. She crashed into the boundary and died.”
Councillor Dave Mansell added: “I would actually like to see fireworks restricted to organised, licensed displays only due to the problems they can cause.”
A petition to limit the sale and use of fireworks in this fashion has received nearly 280,000 signatures on the UK Parliament website – meaning it will be debated in the House of Commons at a later date.
Councillor Janet Lloyd, by contrast, describing the motion as “frivolous” and saying that people were already giving sufficient notice of firework displays to their neighbours and other residents.
She stated: “I’ve received no emails from my constituents about this, and I do live in a farming community.
“I appreciate that there are now weddings and other events that have fireworks. But for the last 415 years we’ve had fireworks on November 5, and New Year’s Eve is always December 31 – so I’m sure pet owners would know when most of the fireworks would be let off.”
The council voted to support this motion and will now write to the government to express its concerns.