MORE than 160,000 people have backed a petition calling for a ban on fireworks being sold to the public. 

It adds fireworks should only be used in displays for licenced venues.

Parliament considers all petitions that get more than 100,000 signatures for a debate. 

The petition adds: "Every year fireworks are set off unnecessarily. 

"Fireworks are a nuisance to the public.

"They scare animals, young children and people with a phobia. 

"They injure thousands of people every year. 

They cause damage to buildings, vehicles,emergancy vehicles etc. 

"Lastly Kids are STILL being sold them."

What are the current laws around fireworks?

The law currently bans under 18s from buying fireworks. 

It’s also against the law for anyone to set off fireworks between 11pm and 7am, except on certain occasions:

These include:

  • Bonfire Night, when the cut off is midnight
  • New Year’s Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year, when the cut off is 1am

You can only buy fireworks (including sparklers) from registered sellers for private use on these dates:

  • 15 October to 10 November
  • 26 to 31 December
  • 3 days before Diwali and Chinese New Year

At other times you can only buy fireworks from licensed shops.

You can view the petition by clicking here