Fireworks can be fun, but all too often they prove to be a frightening nuisance to neighbours, particularly to the elderly and those of a nervous disposition. Pet owners too can testify to the distress caused to their animals every year by excessive noise from fireworks.

If you want to be fair to your neighbours this year, here are some sensible suggestions you could bear in mind.

1. Try not to purchase excessively noisy fireworks. All fireworks sold within Cannock Chase must comply with appropriate British Standards and shops are regularly inspected to ensure they comply and also are not sold to any person under the age of 18. Some fireworks although legally sold can still be extremely loud.

2. To reduce the effect of noise on residents and the danger of setting someone's home on fire do not discharge fireworks close to dwellings. Remember fireworks keep firefighters busy.

3. Please end your firework party before 11pm when lots of folk, especially the very young and the very old, are thinking of retiring to bed.

4. Do not permanently damage your own or other people's hearing with loud explosive type fireworks. Remember that fireworks are much noisier than most other sounds, louder even than a pneumatic drill, a chain saw, a rock concert or an emergency siren, and are ranked second only to gun shot and artillery fire.

5. Do not let fireworks off outside of the usual celebration days like November 5th or Diwali.

6. Instead of annoying your neighbours why not attend an organised display where you will enjoy a far better show than most people could afford in their own garden, and in greater safety too. Fewer individual firework parties means less atmospheric pollution and this can only be beneficial to the environment as well as people suffering from asthma and other breathing difficulties.

There are new rules which mean it is an offence for someone under 18 to possess fireworks in the street and nobody must let off fireworks after 11.00pm except on 5th November when this is extended till midnight. On 31st December, Diwali and Chinese New Year the extension is until 1.00am the following morning. You can report misuse of fireworks during these periods by contacting the Staffordshire Fireworks Hotline on 0845 4567 045

• 1. Statutory Nuisance
• 2. Domestic Noise and How to Deal with it
• 3. Commercial and industrial noise
• 4. Construction Site Noise
• 5. Noise in the Street
• 6. Odour / Dust Nusiance
• 7. Light Nuisance
• 8. Bonfires
• 9. Fireworks « You are here

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