'People should not be scared in their own homes' - calls for action on fireworks in Falkirk

A resident who lives near Falkirk’s Victoria Park says the fireworks recently have sounded ‘like bombs going off’ and are absolutely terrifying for pets and wildlife.

The resident – who started the petition calling for more restrictions on fireworks – says she knows one neighbour is looking to move from the area because the noise can get so bad.

She said: “No-one minds fireworks on Guy Fawkes but this is just absolutely constant – it’s really any excuse.

“Last week was just awful and the mess in the park afterwards was just dreadful – and this is only March.

“We are not talking about wee sparklers – last week, I really thought a bomb had gone off, the noise was terrible.”

She says that many elderly people were left shaken after last week’s celebrations by football fans and she is worried there will be a repeat at the forthcoming Old Firm game.

But her real worry is that fireworks can be bought and set off any day of the year and around Victoria Park.

She said: “Why can’t they take the bang out of the fireworks like they have done in other countries?

“Organised displays are fine but it never stops there.

“I am asking Falkirk Council to keep our community safe and make tighter restrictions.

“People should not feel scared in their own homes – people in my street today thought their had been an explosion in the park!”

She added: “It’s all very well saying to phone the police but people say that they take so long to get here that by the time they arrive it’s all over.”

Falkirk Council said that its Trading Standards team ensures that fireworks are sold and stored safely but the police have responsibility for enforcing legislation when people are using them.

A recent meeting of Falkirk Council’s executive committee heard that this is a national problem and the Scottish Parliament has recently conducted a review of fireworks.

While it does not recommend an outright ban, it does have recommendations for greater control.

Kirsty Paterson, Local Democracy Reporting Service