Gwynedd councillors asked to back calls for more restrictions on sale and use of fireworks

Councillors will be asked to back calls for restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks amid concerns over their impact on both vulnerable people and animals.

A full council meeting on Thursday will see a motion seeking the support of Gwynedd’s councillors for limits on the maximum noise levels of fireworks as well as restricting when they can be let off.

Cllr Paul Rowlinson, the Plaid Cymru councillor for Gerlan, said: “I certainly don’t want to be a killjoy, but I am concerned about the fear and distress that fireworks can cause both to animals and vulnerable people.

“Loud, unexpected noises can affect our pets, farm animals and wildlife in addition to elderly people, children with autism and people suffering from PSTD.”

Earlier this month the First Minister suggested that firework-free zones and set times when they can be set off would be “sensible measures” but that such powers were not currently devolved to Cardiff Bay.

It followed claims by Caroline Jones MS who said that Bonfire Night had become “Bonfire Week” when “quiet neighbourhoods resemble war zones”.

A recent RSPCE poll found that 21 per cent of UK adults reported owning, knowing or having heard about an animal that had tragically died as a result of fireworks, with the charity calling for the restriction of the private use of fireworks to agreed traditional dates (November 5, New Year’s Eve, Chinese New Year and Diwali).

Cllr Rowlinson’s motion will seek to place more pressure on both the Welsh and UK governments in stricter regulations on fireworks, citing one potential action as limiting the maximum noise level allowed.

“The council also needs to review the measures we ourselves could put in place, for example to make people more aware of the impact of fireworks on animal welfare and the precautions they can take to mitigate these risks,” he added.

“I would also like to encourage everyone to restrict fireworks to a period closer to the actual night in order to better protect animals and vulnerable people.”

The motion will call for the council’s own Communities Scrutiny Committee to reviewing what steps the authority can take to ensure that all public firework displays in Gwynedd should be advertised in advance of the event, allowing residents to take precautions for their animals.

It also calls for a public awareness campaign about the impact of fireworks and that local suppliers should stock ‘quieter’ fireworks as well as restricting their use to a period close to specific dates such as November 5.

This week saw Newport Council back a similar motion calling for tighter rules for public fireworks displays.

Newport’s motion means that the council will require all public firework displays in the city to be advertised in advance of the event, allowing residents to take precautions for animals and vulnerable people.

The authority will also promote a public awareness campaign about the impact of fireworks, including the precautions that can be taken, with a review on the success of the scheme expected in six months.

By Gareth Williams – Local Democracy Reporter