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news
Firework selection box (licensed CC BY-3.0 on Wikimedia Commons by Firework Shop - Tony).PNGMP reveals she had firework thrown at her while cycling home from Parliament
A Labour MP has revealed that she had a firework thrown at her by youths as she rode her bike home from Parliament, and has backed a petition calling for their sale to the public to be banned in England and their use confined to licensed public displays.
Speaking in a Westminster Hall debate yesterday tabled by Elliot Colburn, the Conservative MP for Carshalton and Wallington, on the sale and use of fireworks, Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central and Shadow Minister for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport recounted how it was only by braking sharply when the pyrotechnic was thrown at her three years ago that she managed to avoid it.
“It was in 1605 that my former constituent, Mr Guy Fawkes, came to this place to misuse fireworks,” she began (the Gunpowder plotter’s birthplace, opposite York Minster, is now a popular hotel and pub that bears his name).
“That is why I am making a speech today to call for an end to that practice,” Maskell, who is a member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cycling and Walking, continued.
“Not only have many of my constituents written to me, including veterans, families who have experienced autism and other mental health conditions, and animal lovers, but 714 of my constituents signed the petition, calling for fireworks to be used only in properly licensed public displays.
“We have to remember that at this time of year our precious NHS, which is overstretched, sees about 2,000 injuries arriving through its doors, 600 of those affecting children, and deals with about 35 inquiries about burns in relation to both Diwali and bonfire night,” she went on.
“Our public servants are often a target for people who misuse fireworks. Indeed, only three years ago, I was cycling home from Parliament when young people who were playing with fireworks threw one at me. It was only because I reacted in nanoseconds, slamming on my brakes, that it missed me. If it had hit – it exploded as it hit the ground – who knows what the history would have been?
Every year, cycling on that section of my route, I fear what could happen. That brought home how serious the issue is, so we absolutely have to protect the public. When I called the police, they told me that an incident had previously occurred on the very same spot that night, but they did not have time to attend, which highlights the reasons why legislation needs to be introduced from the top – from the Minister – to change the fortunes of others.”
A private member’s bill on the Misuse of Fireworks has been introduced to Parliament by Labour MP for Luton North, Sarah Owen.
Responding for the government, Paul Scully, MP for Sutton and Cheam and Minister of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, said he would examine whether current licenses permitting the sale of fireworks could be tightened.
“The police, local authorities, and other local agencies have a range of tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to antisocial behaviour, including the antisocial use of fireworks, through the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014,” he added.
“Local areas can decide how best to deploy the powers in the 2014 Act depending on the specific circumstances.”
But Maskell, calling for “proper enforcement” to be put in place, told him: “The example from my personal circumstances showed the Minister that the Act is completely ineffective, and therefore people are being put at risk every single day from fireworks being lobbed by young people who should not possess them.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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38 comments
I doubt she knows what a nanosecond is and I reckon if she was quick she needed 250million of 'em.
I can't help but think what a bunch of nanny state snowflakes there are on this forum. While you're all banning fireworks include diy tools, ladders, kitchen knives and feel free to add anything that takes your fancy.
Nothing to do with snowflakes. Irresponsible use of fireworks ultimately can have catastrophic results on both bystander and user. Professional, organised displays are great. Things go pear shaped when amateurs hold impromptu displays or when gangs take to randomly firing rockets or bangers at passers by.
All of which are necesary, and far less likely to injure passers by than explosives.
I remember when I was a teenager and fireworks were widely available. We used to buy them and fire rockets or set off bangers all over the place.
But people did get hurt. A girl I was at school with was hit by a rocket in the face (not one I'd fired, I wasn't even there that night). She was 15. She had a horrendous scar on her cheek. I think being a 15 year old girl with a big scar like that must have been pretty tough, don't you?
I was in the venture scouts with 2 brothers, Dean and Andrew, and their mother was that person who had had an eye taken out by a thrown acorn. This sort of thing does really happen.
Kid in our junior school lost his eye at the age of 7 because someone threw a stick in his general direction and it hit him point first. So I agree that this sort of thing does happen.
There are of course restrictions on the sale of knives and tools and on the use of them in public where you can be arrested for possession of such items.
Yeah facking snowflakes. If it wasn't for snowflakes we'd still be able to drink drive. Bastards
And have that lovely leaded petrol and sofas that caught fire if you dropped a fag on 'em, 'elf'n'safety gone mad, innit.
Too right! I'm going to bin those new-fangled LED Xmas lights and put proper candles on my Xmas tree.
I do have some fear of scotes throwing fireworks at me, those safety adverts from the 70's were terrifying.
Went to a big 30th a while back, EVERY firework rule was being broken, I hid behind a wall.
Selling explosives to anyone is a bit strange. You cannot buy big pots of painkillers anymore, or really effective drain unblocked.
Absolutely agree. Honestly think it's stupid allowing non-experts to have anything more than a sparkler - still have a (minor, thankfully) scar on my leg from twenty years ago when a mate's back garden display went wrong and a pretty large rocket went horizontal into a crowd of maybe thirty children and adults, just not worth the risk.
I've had the misfortune on two occasions of having a firework fired at me. Both rockets. First time I managed to stop. Second I felt the air pressure and heat of the thing as it sailed across my back followed by the pressure from the resulting explosion somewhere behind me. Not a pleasant experience
It's spelled "licences" in the UK.
Funnily enough, "tiresome pedant" is spelt "swlxder" in the UK. And I spelt "spelt" "spelt" advisedly because that's the UK spelling of "spelt", not "spelled", because that is an Americanism.
Frankly, if pedantry is your hobby, at least be good at it.
Fair call on her part. Fireworks ahoukd have been banned years ago.
I'm not at all surprised this intellectually challenged Tory desperately tries to make an issue out of a perfectly harmless and moderately amusing contextual joke.
By the way, is calling someone intellectually challenged another example of your famous courtesy?
Did I remember a recent MP comparing James Bond disarming a bomb, then saying it is a minute to midnight on said bombs clock? Also using a frog being green to state about enviromentalism? Of course I won't mention Muslim women and postboxes as apparently you need context for that one.
But as we all know that's just a pose of irritating stupidity and prejudice being used to conceal profound cynicism and a moral vacuum. What was that Hitch Hiker's guide to the Galaxy line - "their fundamental design flaws are completely hidden by their superficial design flaws"
Godwins law in 1 post. A new low even for you Nige.
Wonder if she would call for private cars to be outlawed if someone had deliberately driven at her.
Of course cars already require a licence to operate, so consistent with her view that firework should require a licence
But she's also calling for a ban on their sale to 'the public'. I don't think she is envisiging that everyone can take the firework licence test as many times as it takes to pass, and then be allowed to use them.
And?
I can live with that, in spite of enjoying setting fireworks off myself. I also really like shooting. Again I can live without firearms.
When fireworks become a life-need (they're not on Maslow's list yet to my knowledge) I can imagine that the risk-benefit analysis will swing in the favour of free access. Currently however, they have no tangible benefit, and strong arguments for their control ( annually 1 or 2 dozen deaths, a couple of thousand serious injuries, nuisance, distress, environmental impact etc)
Until then I agree with the honourable member. Fireworks should require a licence.
As a Badger, I would have thought you'd be very anti-firearms.
On principle that is so, with the exception of the one in my hand...
.
firearms for badgers ok
firearms used against badgers - not ok
You can have the right to bear arms, but what about the right to arm bears (or badgers)?
A badger with the arms of a bear? Is this the Island of Dr Moreau?
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