A West Fife Councillor has backed a complete ban on the sale of fireworks for unlicensed events in the Kingdom.
It comes after Edinburgh and Glasgow introduced measures to limit the use of fireworks in certain areas during November.
Firework control zones will be in place in Scotland’s two largest cities between November 1 and 10, with those violating the ban risking a £5,000 fine and six months imprisonment.
Councillor David Barratt said: “I would fully support a complete ban on the sale of fireworks in shops to unlicensed events.
“I’ve raised it a few times in the full council, and I’ve been assured that a working group is looking to bring a briefing paper, but I’m told that the council don’t think there’s any need for it in Fife.
“I’m not convinced that’s the right approach. If we’ve got the power to ban them right across Fife then I’d be up for doing that, because I don’t think there should be displays unless they’re planned, organised, and well-advertised.
“There are pets and animals who find them disruptive. Equally, autistic people and people with sensory disorders struggle with fireworks.”
Research conducted by the charity Dog’s Trust shows that fireworks affect up to half of the UK’s pet dogs, with 45% of owners reporting that their dogs aren’t always calm when fireworks are set off.
Mr Barratt has encouraged people to attend the Inverkeithing firework display instead of hosting unlicensed events.
He said: “The reality is that having a single organised display is far better because there shouldn’t be that need for people to buy fireworks from the local shop and set them off in their garden.”
The display will take place on November 5 from 7:30pm at Balast Bank.
Meanwhile, Dunfermline has not hosted an official fireworks display since 2018. Previously the annual event in Pittencrieff Park had been extremely popular, but financial constraints led to it being cancelled.
Mr Barratt said: “The Inverkeithing one started out very ad hoc and informal in response to the lack of local displays. By not having formal displays in the area, it actually makes the problem worse.”
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