Fire Service welcomes fireworks sale changes

Fire Service chief executive Mike Hall has welcomed changes to fireworks sales outlined by Environment Minister David Benson-Pope today, but says the effect will not be known until November next year.

Mr Benson-Pope signalled today that the traditional 10-day fireworks sale period will be trimmed to three days, the minimum legal sale age raised from 14 to 18, and that sparklers will only be sold as part of larger fireworks packs.

Mr Hall says that while the Fire Service called for a ban on retail sales of fireworks this year, he is pleased action has been taken.

“I met with the minister in November and expressed the Fire Service’s concerns, and it’s good to see that some action has come out of that.

“Obviously we won’t know whether or not the measures Mr Benson-Pope has introduced will go far enough until the Guy Fawkes period in 2007, but we certainly hope they will limit the chaos we have seen in the past couple of years.”

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