Wokingham

With the firework season fast-approaching, Wokingham District Council is asking people to make sure their celebrations go with the right sort of bang as part of the national “Be Safe, Not Sorry” campaign.

Information from the Department for Trade and Industry (dti) shows 990 injuries caused by fireworks last year. Of the injuries 475 occurred at family or private parties to children under 16 years of age. Wokingham council’s environmental health officers have joined the campaign to encourage people to follow the firework safety code:

# Only buy fireworks marked BS 7114

# Don’t drink alcohol if setting off fireworks

# Keep fireworks in a closed box

# Follow the instructions on each firework

# Light fireworks at arm’s length, using a taper

# Stand well back

# Never go near a firework that has been lit. Even if it doesn’t go off, it may still explode

# Never put fireworks in pockets 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

It is also important to remember that it is illegal to set fireworks off between 11pm and 7am except in the following cases: Diwali - October 21, 2006 (1am the following day), Guy Fawkes’ night - November 5 (until midnight), New Year’s Eve (1am the following day), Chinese New Year, February 18, 2007 (1am the following day). Anyone experiencing problems with fireworks being let off outside of these hours should contact the Wokingham police.

Executive member for Wokingham community safety Cllr Barrie Patman said: “We want to remind people to be careful with any type of firework. Even a simple sparkler can reach a temperature of up to 2,000ºC. That’s 20 times the boiling point of water. Please enjoy the celebrations whilst being very aware of the dangers.

“It’s also important for people to be considerate of their neighbours. Remember to give them advance warning if you intend to have a firework party. They may want to make other arrangements, or may have pets that need to be kept indoors.”

Wokingham District Council