The Fireworks Regulations 2004

These regulations are intended to minimise the risk, from the use of fireworks, of harmful consequences for people, animals or property.

The regulations, amongst other provisions:

• prohibit persons under eighteen from possessing an adult firework (which have a technical definition, but excludes sparklers, party poppers and the like) in a public place;
• prohibit persons of any age from possessing (in a public place or elsewhere) a category 4 firework. A category 4 firework is defined in regulation 3 by reference to the categorisation of fireworks in British Standard 7114;
• prohibit persons from using adult fireworks during night hours (namely between 23:00 hrs and 07:00 hrs) but exceptions allow such use until 01:00 hrs on the nights of the Chinese New Year, Diwali and New Year's Eve and until midnight on 5 November (Guy Fawkes). There is also an exception in the case of local authority employees for the purposes of local authority fireworks displays, national public celebrations or national commemorative events;
• prohibit the supply, purchase or possession of category 3 fireworks whose noise levels exceed 120 decibels and includes provision for measuring these noise levels;
• require suppliers of adult fireworks to hold a licence, except at certain times of year;
• require suppliers of adult fireworks to inform the persons to whom such fireworks are supplied or exposed for supply that it is a criminal offence to supply adult fireworks to those under eighteen and for those under eighteen to possess such fireworks;
• require fireworks suppliers to provide, on request, a local licensing authority with information about fireworks in circumstances where the total net explosive content of fireworks supplied in a single transaction exceeds 50 kilogrammes;
• require importers of fireworks to give information about themselves, the storage and onward supply of such fireworks to Customs and Excise.

The enforcement of the possession and use provisions is allocated to the |Police, the remaining provisions being allocated to |Trading Standards departments and |H M Customs and Excise.

For further advice and information visit our |firework webpages.