Planning on Having a Bonfire Party: Here's How to Have a Blast Without Getting into Too Much Heat...
The staple elements of a bonfire party are, obviously, a bonfire and some fireworks. However, did you know there are specific rules and regulations the government has set out around these items?
Bonfires:
Let's start with the bonfire. This should be made up of things that are safe to burn. You cannot burn any household waste that will cause pollution or harm to anyone's health. This is separate to garden waste, what you would usually construct a bonfire out of, which you can burn by following two rules:
- 1. Making sure any smoke produced does not drift across a road and become a danger to traffic;
- 2. Avoid a statutory nuisance – A statutory nuisance is a generic term that for an activity that "unreasonably and substantially interfere with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premises" or "injure health or be likely to injure health".
In simple terms, where possible try to avoid affecting those around you with any smoke as best you can. An easy way to do this is to cover your bonfire a few days before you plan to light it so it can dry out. Any wet garden waste will create more smoke. Also informing neighbours can be a very easy way to keep people happy as then they can make plans.
A top safety tip: don't light bonfires too close to anything flammable, such as sheds, fences or even your own home.
Fireworks:
Now for the main event, the fireworks. In the build up to Bonfire Night you can set off fireworks between 7am and 11pm; with a special cut of time of midnight for Bonfire Night itself. Statutory nuisance rules apply here too, any noise that interferes with enjoyment of a property or could cause injury (as mentioned at 2. above) and your neighbours could make a complaint to the council. Again, letting neighbours know of any fireworks plans is a good way to avoid this.
You must be 18 or over to purchase category 2 and 3 fireworks and any category 4 fireworks are only to be used by professionals. When purchasing your fireworks you can't be too prepared, as registered seller can only sell for private use between 15th October and 10th November every year (such as a supermarket), in and around bonfire night. There are other times of the year that fireworks can be purchase for private use; please see the government website for these details. Purchasing fireworks from licensed shops can be done all year round (such as a specialist firework shop). If found to be using or selling fireworks illegally you could get a on the spot fine of £90 or up to 6 months in prison and an unlimited fine for the more serious offences.
Making a complaint:
Should you find yourself needing to make a complaint record the events as best you can and contact your local council's environmental health officer. If it is an emergency, such as danger to life, the call 999.
