Metropol

i've been hearing stupid bangs and screeches since last weekend. on saturday night because of the bad weather here earlier in the evening the noise went on well into midnight.

now i'm not one to want to spoil peoples fun, as a child i have happy memories of building a big fire and stuffing a guy fawkes but i have to say when it starts over a week early it actually pisses me off - not least because pets across the land hate it.

is it time to ban the sale of fireworks and allow licensed displays only, or only have a single weekend on or around the 5th of november each year where the general public can have their displays to minimise the disruption to others (and absolutely no fireworks on a weeknight)?

I did have to wonder why my Sainsburys Local, in the dead centre of Manchester, was selling fireworks. There's NOWHERE that they could be let off round here.

No,

It'd be another ase of the nanny state. People misbehaving with them should be properly dealt with of course. They form the basis for a significant number of family get togethers at this time of year that should be encouraged. As for the accident risk, yes there is, but as with many other occupations and pastimes, injuries, some of which are collateral, that affect the public purse, occur which could of course be avoided by banning the activity.

What about pets, DVB?

And I don't mean the issue of should they be sold fireworks.

Jovis wrote:What about pets, DVB?

And I don't mean the issue of should they be sold fireworks.

Damn you! I would have used that.

Oh well.

But what about new years/weddings/birthdays/anniversaries/parties? It's not all the yoof of today you know.

That is a rather Daily Fail reaction from you, Lobster - would have expected a far more liberal attitude!

During the Troubles in Northern Ireland fireworks were banned. There weren't any except for at organised displays. I don't feel my childhood was any the worse for that (re: the fireworks, I guess the Troubles had some effect or other).

Then, about 10 years ago, all restrictions were removed. And then, ironically, it was like living in a war zone. We'd gone from one extreme to the other.

So now you have to have a license to buy or let off fireworks, which costs £30 and must be applied for 7 days before you buy them.

And things are much quieter now.

With Nov 5th being directly in the middle of the week - i.e. a Wednesday - you either have your display on the weekend before or after. I remember going to displays on November 10th etc... so the weekends either side of Nov 5th, you can't get away with it really.

Sput wrote:There's NOWHERE that they could be let off round here.

Of course there is, they we're letting them off at a bus stop in Piccadilly Gardens earlier.

For some reason I always seem to remember it starting a lot earlier than it has this year. Tonight does seem a popular night though, plenty of banging going on.

ashley b wrote:plenty of banging going on.

Careful - with comments like that you'll have Stuart*Plymouth swarming round with his single entendres.

marksi wrote:Then, about 10 years ago, all restrictions were removed. And then, ironically, it was like living in a war zone. We'd gone from one extreme to the other.

I was in Berlin for New Years' Eve a couple of years ago - and that was my reaction as well. Fireworks were being let off in streets and parks everywhere. Which is funny, because I wouldn't have thought the Germans would want to be reminded of war zones...