Council leader calls for outright ban on public sale of fireworks

The leader of City of Edinburgh Council, Cammy Day, has made a fresh call for an outright ban on the public sale of fireworks after disorder around Bonfire Night.

Police officers and fire crews were attacked with fireworks, bricks and bottles during incidents across parts of Scotland including Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Police officers had been given stop and search powers, and helicopters were deployed in a bid to crackdown on the violence and thuggery which have been hallmarks of the fireworks period in previous years.

The Niddrie, Calder Road, Gracemount and Moredun areas of Edinburgh and the Pollokshields area of Glasgow were among the worst affected.

Cllr Day criticised the “alarming and dangerous behaviour”. He said: “It’s long been my view that we need to ban the public sale of fireworks, given the potential risk to health, if misused, but also the unnecessary fear and alarm they cause in our communities.”

Police vehicles were attacked with fireworks and bricks in Edinburgh with a female officer injured after the vehicle she was in was hit by a brick smashing the window.

Bus services in some parts of the capital had to be suspended due to the disorder and 16 buses were damaged.

Police released video showing how officers were attacked with fireworks, bricks and bottles on Bonfire Night and said residents in Edinburgh and Glasgow were “terrified” by targeted disorder.

Officers made 19 arrests between Halloween and Bonfire Night. Six people were charged under the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles Act and 26 further charges were made for related criminal behaviour. Inquiries are continuing to identify those responsible.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) received 1000 emergency calls from across the country, with six incidents where fire crews were attacked – three in Clydebank, two in Edinburgh and one in Blackridge in West Lothian.

Neither The Scottish Government nor The UK Government would be drawn on whether they supported calls for a ban on firework sales to the public.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “A ban on fireworks is a reserved issue for the UK Government. Within our devolved powers we have introduced a number of measures to improve firework safety including Firework Control Zones.”