Aftermath of Bonfire Night 2023
In the aftermath of Bonfire Night 2023, we have seen and heard a disturbing number of incidents where fireworks caused harm to animals, people and property during firework season so far.
Animal incidents
We received reports and footage of fireworks being released in Scotland before 6pm, which according to the Firework and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 is now illegal. See video below caught by Wilma Fielding in Buckie, Moray.
We also received videos of frightened dogs being held by their owners.
As reported in the Glasgow Times, 5 year old Maltese terrier Beau ran into a dual carriageway after being sent into a frenzy by fireworks being let off close by - https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/news/23912701.cumbernauld-dog-dies-road-fireworks-scare/
And in the Daily Record, we read the heart-breaking news that Sol, 2 year old rescue Collie Greyhound cross, was being taken to the toilet outside when a firework fizzed past him, sending him into a frenzy. He ran for 3 miles into the A1 where he was killed instantly. His owner Fiona said “We are just absolutely destroyed. I can’t eat, I can’t sleep – we were just so fond of him.” https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/dog-killed-car-after-fleeing-31379189
Companion animal owners took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to call for help to find their missing dogs:
4 year old terrier cross, Bertie, went missing in Shirley, Solihull on November 5th
Another user showed her dog hiding under furniture, saying they would be too frightened to leave the house for the next 3 days
Another dog owner posted a picture of his dog too afraid to eat.
Three-legged rescue dog, Ruby, fled after hearing fireworks in Shropshire, leaving her owners bereft
Pug Annie went missing for several days in Ballymacnab, Co. Armagh, after being spooked by fireworks.
Toby in Co. Antrim also went missing for several days.
And in Berkshire, someone reported their horse’s legs had become stuck in a fence for several hours overnight after running away in panic from a firework display in the adjacent field. It took a vet, three fire engines and an animal rescue team two hours to free him, and he was so exhausted he could not stand by himself. His injuries could be life-long.
Public safety incidents
Fireworks veering off course and into a crowd of people in Stone, Staffordshire, hitting approximately 6 individuals.
Staffs and West Midlands Fire Control took more than 160 calls between 6pm and midnight on November 5th. This included a firework that had been thrown through a car window into the vehicle. Another had been stuffed through a letterbox, causing a property to fill with smoke. The same thing happened in Edlington, Doncaster.
NHS England said the burns advice page of their website was receiving an average of one visit every 21 seconds over Bonfire Night weekend.
In Nottingham, eight arrests were made out of some 200 young people launching fireworks at each other.
In Merseyside, two men sustained very serious injuries to face and hand when a firework went off in their car, and had to receive hospital treatment for their burns.
In Caerphilly, two boys, aged 8 and 9, were injured by fireworks while playing in a park. One of them was airlifted to hospital to have reconstructive surgery on his hand.
The area of Niddrie in Edinburgh saw police officers attacked with fireworks, petrol bombs and other projectiles amid “unprecedented violence” on Guy Fawkes night.
And in Dundee, riot police were called as a gang of 50 started fires in the lead up to Bonfire Night. Dundee also saw similar firework-related violence against law enforcement officers around Guy Fawkes Night the previous year.
These show only a few of the type of terrible incidents that unfold this and every year due to public misuse of fireworks, whether intentional or not.
Fireworks are not just once a year. That is why we are running a year-round campaign to take any firework more powerful than a sparkler out of the hands of unlicensed members of the public.
We are calling on the Scottish and UK Governments to do more to protect our animals and people from the violence, trauma and death caused by giving easy access to these potentially lethal explosive devices.
You can support this cause by clicking the button below and give us a better chance of achieving this goal.