Campaign is launched to ban fireworks from being let off in Milton Keynes

Animal rights campaigner Virginia Bell is shortly to put a motion to a full meeting of the City Council asking that fireworks should be banned or at least controlled.

“I think that there is public interest in Milton Keynes for this,” she told the Citizen.

Virginia recently revealed her plan on the popular Nextdoor neighbourhood app and was surprised at the number of people agreeing with it.

She wrote: “Those people who have let off fireworks recently will unfortunately not see the dead bodies of the birds and animals who have died from terror because of the activity of these unsociable, inconsiderate and selfish people.”

Many residents responded in support of a new fireworks legislation. “They should be banned. In the wrong hands they could be extremely dangerous. You could make something deadly with them,” said one.

"They’re a blooming nuisance,” wrote another, while a third declared: “Fireworks law needs changing to only noise free to the public. I am up for banning sales to the public altogether.”

But some people were quick to defend the right to let off fireworks and accused Virgina of being a killjoy. “It's been Christmas and new year. Enjoy the celebrations and stop complaining,” wrote one.

Meanwhile, Virginia has sent details of the RSPCA’s current fireworks campaign to local councillor Mick Legg, who is Cabinet member for Regulatory Services.

The charity is seeking to reduce the maximum noise level of fireworks for public sale from 120 dB to 90 dB. They also want to introduce a labeling system to help consumers choose quieter fireworks, and for them only to be on sale on certain dates instead of throughout the year.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: “During the 2023 fireworks season, 67% of respondents to our impact-reporting survey highlighted that private back yard displays were the cause of their animals’ fear response.

“Fireworks can produce a sound between 120-175 decibels. Dogs and cats can hear sounds much further away than humans. Sounds over 85 dB can damage a human’s hearing, while sounds over 140 dB can cause immediate damage and pain. It’s well known that animals have more sensitive hearing than humans in both frequency and volume.”

The spokesperson added:”Animals such as dogs and horses can suffer from tinnitus, hearing loss and long-term hearing damage caused by fireworks, as well as experiencing stress and fear. Similarly, livestock such as horses often try to escape the bangs out of fear, sometimes injuring themselves in the process.”

RSPCA experts have even produced an interactive map to show how many animals are estimated to be affected by fireworks in each part of the country. In Milton Keynes, the numbers are 6,310 cats and 7,237 dogs.

The charity has published a special ‘Kind Sparks Guide’ to advise on how to minimise animal suffering caused by fireworks. It urges people to opt fo only silent or low noise displays and shun the louder products.

“Instead of fireworks, silent alternatives can include light displays, projections or drones displays – giving all of the atmosphere without the bang,” it states.