Firework Law –

You can’t buy ‘adult’ fireworks if you’re under 18, and it’s against the law for anyone to set off fireworks between 11pm and 7am, except on certain occasions. Adult fireworks are category 2 and 3 fireworks – they don’t include things like party poppers. Category 4 fireworks can only be used by professionals. The law says you must not set off or throw fireworks (including sparklers) in the street or other public places.

You must not set off fireworks between 11pm and 7am, except for:

• Bonfire Night, when the cut off is midnight
• New Year’s Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year, when the cut off is 1am

Check with your council to find out about any local rules for setting off fireworks. Get information about firework safety from The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents and the Health and Safety Executive.

Buying fireworks. You can only buy fireworks (including sparklers) from registered sellers for private use on these dates:

• 15 October to 10 November
• 26 to 31 December
• 3 days before Diwali and Chinese New Year

At other times you can only buy fireworks from licensed shops. You can be fined up to £5,000 and imprisoned for up to 6 months for selling or using fireworks illegally. You could also get an on-the-spot fine of £90.

Halloween Advice –

To help make sure this Halloween is safe and enjoyable for everyone, we’ve put together some tips:

Trick-or-treat

• If you see a home displaying ‘no trick-or-treat’ posters please respect this. Instead, visit a home that’s welcoming visitors – you can usually tell as these are displaying illuminated pumpkins and other decorations.
• Trick-or-treaters should never go into a stranger’s house.
• Young people should never go trick-or-treating alone – they must always be accompanied by a responsible adult.
• October nights are dark so keep to well-lit areas. Wear bright clothing and/or reflective strips, and always carry a torch.
• Remember to be safe near roads and driveways, even around quieter residential areas.

Behaving responsibly. Halloween can be a worrying and intimidating time for the elderly, vulnerable or those who live alone. It can also be a nuisance for people whose evenings are interrupted by trick-or-treaters knocking on their door. Please be mindful that your Halloween fun could bother other people. We want you to have a great time, but ask that you behave with respect and courtesy to those around you. Officers from your police Safer Neighbourhood Team will be carrying out patrols in the evenings around Halloween to make sure that people who are trick-or-treating are doing so in a friendly manner and not causing a nuisance.