People in Bradford call for urgent crack-down on fireworks

People in Bradford are again pleading for action to tackle nuisance fireworks, saying they're being woken up every night and threatened in their own streets.

More than 26,000 people have signed a fresh petition about the issue which it’s claimed is getting worse.

“I live up near the hospital, there’s a lot of patients there who are ill and it’s very disturbing for them,” says Kash from Friends of West Park in Girlington.

“Both my kids are at school and they’re being disturbed so their sleep is being disturbed. My dad does early shifts so he’ll be waking up at 4 o’clock in the morning, so he’s already being disturbed at that time.

“And Bradford is a city of sanctuary, so there’s a lot of refugees who come here. They have run away from hearing bombs and things like that all night, just to come to here and listen to the same thing… the PTSD that that’s going to trigger.”

Friends of West Park recently met with local police and politicians to talk about the issue and tell us a firework happened to land at the police sergeant’s feet whilst he stood in West Park.

As we head towards Bonfire night, the group’s president, Hamza, says firmer action is needed in the short term as well as longer-term changes to the law:

“Neighbours are being chased around by fireworks and (youths are) literally holding the fireworks and aiming them at you. Last year we were doing security at the park and it came to the point that after an hour we all had to go home, it was unsafe.

“We need something straight away before bonfire night comes because people are going to be putting fireworks up people's exhausts, through the windows… we’ve witnessed it for the last few years constantly. I had it through my living room window, my carpet had burn marks all over it.”

A resident in another part of Bradford, who didn’t want to be named, sent us an image of an advert being left on car windows in packaging that looks like a parking ticket. Inside it advertises deals such as £500 worth of fireworks for less than half price, and the shop is open until midnight on Friday and Saturday nights.

This is just one of several shops in the area offering deals on large amounts of fireworks and operating late into the night.

“For the past few weeks, loud fireworks have been heard in the area literally every night,” the resident told us.

“They sound like bombs going off. Many people in Bradford are absolutely sick and tired of having to put up with this noise every night. It feels almost like we're living in a war zone.

“It is about time the laws in England are brought into line with the laws in Ireland and Italy. Why in the 21st century in a civilised society, do we still allow members of the general public to purchase explosives which disturb the sleep of thousands and cause undue stress to domestic animals and wildlife?”

Kash says residents’ first port of call is to ring the police when fireworks are heard late at night but they are usually told to contact the council, who advise contacting the police.

The council tells us one of the issues it has is the need to identify the individuals who are actually lighting the fireworks, meaning it would need to reach the location before the fireworks end. It says it found it ‘impossible’ to track locations and identify individuals in time to enforce and adds that the police have struggled with the same problems.

Councillor Kamran Hussain, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Safety said: “Residents and Councillors across the district are rightly angry about the anti-social use of fireworks.

“Nuisance noise from fireworks is a recurring problem in many parts of the district, not just on Bonfire Night and New Year’s Eve, but also through them being used in wedding celebrations or as a symptom of anti-social behaviour. They cause upset and harm to people and their pets at all hours of the day and night.

“Despite the law being very clear that with a few exceptions, fireworks should not be ‘let off’ after 11pm. A minority of people choose to ignore this and cause problems.

“The council has, for several years, been working to get tougher laws on the use of fireworks in the district, something which can only be made possible by changes to national legislation. We have written to local MPs asking that they lobby the government for a reduction in the noise levels, a ban on the sale of more powerful fireworks and for new licensing laws, making it more difficult for the public to buy from wholesalers.

“We will continue to work with partners in the police, fire service, council officers and the voluntary sector to tackle this issue on a local level too, and are determined to build on that progress whilst pressing the government for the action our residents need to see nationally.”

We put all of this to the government’s Department for Business and Trade who said:

“We understand the concern over the impact of fireworks noise on people and animals and the disturbance this can cause.

“That’s why there is already a maximum legal noise level set for fireworks and why we have launched a new fireworks safety campaign to help people use them considerately.”

We have also asked West Yorkshire Police for a response.