No more fireworks? (Picture: Getty Images)

For some people bonfire night is one of the highlights of the year, for others is a night of distress and terror.

That’s why a petition has been started to place a ban on public use of fireworks.

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At the time of writing more than 2,000 people have signed the petition which claims fireworks ’cause alarm, distress and anxiety to many people and animals’.

The petition calls on ‘the Secretary of State to make appropriate provision to secure that the risk of public use is the MINIMUM that is compatible with fireworks being used, as stated in Fireworks Act 2003 sect 2’.




As with every petition on petition.parliament.uk, 10,000 signatures will require the government to respond, while 100,000 signatures will require the petition to be debated in parliament.

A similar petition was launched last year which gained 168,160 signatures by the time it closed.

Unfortunately for the campaigners this sparked only a brief debate in Parliament, with business minister at the time Jo Johnson shooting down the suggestion of a ban, claiming the current laws work well.

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‘It is likely that those who already use fireworks in an anti-social or inconsiderate way would not be deterred by further regulation,’ he said.

It is well known that animals become incredibly alarmed when fireworks go off due to the noise.

The RSPCA estimates that 45% of dogs are afraid of fireworks, and suggest protecting your dog on fireworks night by not leaving them alone and creating a comfortable hiding place such as a box so they can feel secure when fireworks start going off.

Picture: Getty / Metro