• Only buy fireworks marked BS7114
• Don’t drink alcohol if setting off fireworks
• Keep fireworks in a closed box
• Follow the instructions on each firework
• Light at arm’s length, using a taper
• Stand well back
• Never go near a firework that has been lit. Even if it hasn’t gone off, it could still explode
• Never put fireworks in your pocket or throw them
• Always supervise children around fireworks
• Light sparklers one at a time and wear gloves
• Never give sparklers to a child under five
• Keep pets indoors

Fireworks and the Law

• Fireworks must not be sold to anyone under 18 and it is an offence for under 18s to possess fireworks in a public place
• It is also an offence to throw or set off fireworks in any highway, street, thoroughfare or public place
• Fireworks cannot be set off between 11pm and 7am (apart from on 5th of November, New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year and Diwali, when the curfew is later)
• Fireworks are only widely available during the weeks leading up to Bonfire Night and a few days before New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year and Diwali. For the rest of the year, you will only be able to buy fireworks from shops that are licensed to supply them
• It is illegal to cause any unnecessary suffering to any domestic or captive animals

For further information on firework legislation, please visit BERR.