Fireworks Polls Show People and Charities Want a Ban on the Sales of Fireworks to the Public – Countrywide.

We’ve looked into polls around the country and what the people want. On average, around 85% of us want a ban on sales of fireworks to the public. And have been saying so for at least 20 years! And many charities are also calling for it.

All across the nation, poll after poll, people are fed up of fireworks and want sales to the public to be banned. We know they’re cruel, are a nuisance and that they are harmful for people, animals and the environment. You can see below that veteran, PTSD and other charities, as well as animal charities are asking for change too. So why is the government so out of touch and not doing anything? And the question now is not if we want them banned but why, in a democracy, are they not doing what the people and charities want? What is the real issue here and what is going on?

Write to your MP, share this blog and ask them. And ask who will put forward a Private Member’s Bill to get this through. Or if you have an MP who is in the government (see list here), particularly the Department of Business and Trade, please ask that they do what the people want. Now! You can sign the latest petition too.

Here is just a list of some recent polls that have come up in the last few days (Nov 2023), up and down and across the country:

• The Mirror has polled readers. 87% want them banned
• Nottinghamshire Live asked the same question of should the sale of them be banned to the public. A resounding 87% said YES they want them banned.
• Leicestershire Live again, same questions. 88% said they want them banned in public sales

• Manchester Evening News says 90% want them banned
• Wales Online says 75% want the sales banned to the public
• Lancs Live, 91% want a ban in sales to the public
• Surrey Live, saying 78% want a ban in sales to the public
• The Martin Lewis poll we shared in a recent blog showed 73% of 56,000 polled
• MyLondon has 78% wanting a country wide ban
• LondonLovesBusiness reports on a poll done by RIFT, which shows that 78% want a ban
• Combat Stress and Help for Heroes did a poll of veterans and “74% of the veterans surveyed want to see the days and times when fireworks can be set off to be restricted further; whilst 67% want a reduction in the overall number of days fireworks can be sold to the public.”

Many people can feel concerned they would be ruining other peoples’ fun. Not so. The people are behind this, clearly. It is unambiguous. It’s outdated and inappropriate for any politician to say that banning fireworks ruins other’s fun, when clearly it is anything but fun for the majority. And it isn’t new. People have been polled over the years and have been saying the same thing as far back and further than 2006.

• In 2006, in the Bolton News, a poll said 77% wanted a ban.
• In 2016, Northumberland Gazette shows a 94% wanted a ban
• In 2019, North Wales Live polled 11,400 and 73% wanted a ban
• In 2020, Heart FM had done a poll and 72% of listeners wanted the same
• In 2021, The Mirror also did a poll and 90% wanted them banned
• In the 2021 parliamentary debate, when there were over 305,000 petition signatures, Elliot Colburn said he polled his constituents and out of 75,000, 89% wanted a ban on sales!

We seem so proud of our democracy, of our care for animals and people – and yet the people in parliament are not doing what we, the people are asking them to do. It’s time to ask, why is this not happening and how do we make this happen? To write to MPs, demand it of them. Complete every petition and keep writing. With recent reports of fireworks firing into crowds by accident and being used as weapons, some MPs are calling for change.

They may be concerned we’ll not want it. The opposite. The vast majority of us will be jumping for joy. So write to them and let them know so. And if they are worried about a black market, the polls indicate there won’t be much of a market wanting them anyway!

We wanted to call out quotes from some of the many charities demanding change. The Combat Stress and Help the Heroes article regarding their survey. It is wrong this goes on and isn’t stopped for the people that protect us, while the majority of the public are supportive of change. Out of respect for our service men and women as we approach 11th November, when sadly more fireworks will go off and cause distress.

“Ex-RAF serviceman Matt Neve, who has been diagnosed with PTSD, generalised anxiety disorder and depression, all attributable to his service, said: “One of my main roles was the loading and unloading of those that had been injured or killed in order to repatriate them. Unfortunately, PTSD developed from this, a trigger of which is sudden loud noise, flashes of light or explosions, as well as certain smells. So imagine what it’s like when these are combined in a small package set off by your neighbour. You physically shake with fear, sweat, and become so agitated that you don’t know what to do. Imagine what it’s like to get out your car just as a firework is set off and you grab your daughter and dive to the ground for cover because you thought you were back in a war zone. Imagine how embarrassing it is to accidentally wet yourself in front of your family, because that young idiot down the road launches fireworks at or near your house, or to be scared to leave your house in the evening in the weeks leading up to Bonfire Night and New Year. All of the above is what happens and has happened to me. It’s a reality of living with PTSD.”

James Needham, CEO of Help for Heroes, said: “Veterans tell us the sudden noises, flashes and smells caused by fireworks can leave them feeling nervous and fearful. Some can feel overwhelmed, others may be reminded of moments in combat and past traumatic events. That is why we are calling upon the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to commission an independent review of the current legislation, and to consider tighter restrictions on fireworks sales in England and Wales.”

Jacqui Suttie, Founder and CEO of PTSD UK says, “When you have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD or C-PTSD), any loud or sudden noise can be a trigger, leading to flashbacks, uncontrollable shaking, panic attacks, heart palpations and many other physical and emotional symptoms. That linked with the other symptoms of PTSD and C-PTSD such as exaggerated startle response, fear of sound (phonophobia), aversion to specific sounds (misophonia), and a difficulty in tolerance and volume of sounds that would not be considered loud by normal hearing individuals (hyperacusis) means firework ‘season’ in October and November or around festivals such as Diwali, New Year and Chinese New Year can be a hugely traumatic time for people with PTSD and C-PTSD.”

RSPCA, Dogs Trust, Blue Cross, Battersea, British Veterinary Association, Cats Protection, Children’s Burns Trust, The Kennel Club, Combat Stress, PTSD UK, Dan’s Fund for Burns and Help for Heroes are all campaigning for change and spoke to MPs in November 2022. Still no change. 5 debates in parliament, with 6 petitions over 100,000 signatures. Why?

If you want change and would like to support our veterans among so many others, DON’T GIVE UP. The government will have to listen. If not this, then the next. This could be a vote influencer in the next election. If you want to bring about change, you aren’t the only one. Most of the population agree.

• Sign and share petitions. This is a the current one for 2023.
• Now is the time to write to your MP and ask them to push the Government to take drastic action. Reduce the number of days to just a handful a year, reduce the sound and ban the sale to the public. Or you can use the RSPCA template. There have been 5 debates, 6 petitions with over 100,000 signatures each, a Petitions Committee inquiry, polls all confirming what the people want – and the Government, in particular the Department of Business and Trade, who reviews the petition, needs to listen. Kemi Badenoch is the head of that department and MP for Saffron Waldon
• Write to your councils asking them to change what they allow. 
• Share this blog in every group you are in on social media and in emails – particularly those not related to fireworks, to reach new audiences
• Ask your friends and neighbours not to let fireworks off or if they insist to, at least use low noise fireworks which are available from most firework suppliers
• Read and share more blogs on the impact of fireworks and share these too: Environmental impact, impact on pet owners, impact on war veterans and sufferers of PTSD and on assistance dogs, how even Christmas is no longer a time of peace and why fireworks are a nuisance and the law should change.