Gertsamtkunstwerk

Ban fireworks!

I know what you're thinking; how weird to have got so far into October without Gert calling for a firework ban.

It has been suspiciously quiet up until now. Up until Saturday, anyway, when there were  very loud bangs in close proximity to my house. I simply turned up the rugby and steeled myself.

Yesterday evening I was walking up my road when I encountered Jimmy's brother sitting outside the pub nearest to my house - about eight doors down. He invited me to join him, so I did. I had not been sitting there for long when a mighty kerfuffle broke out. A gang of about a dozen teenagers and children throwing fireworks at traffic, practically outside my house,  and then running away. There were a dozen people outside the pub, half a dozen more walking by, and there was unanimity - it's not acceptable, something must be done about it. I am extremely sceptical that anything other than an outright ban will have any effect. It's against the law for people under 18 to possess - let alone buy - fireworks. It's against the law to throw fireworks in a public place. Last year I phoned the police to report 'youths' - probably the same Gang, throwing fireworks onto the South Circular, in the rush hour (at a spot where the speed limit is 40 mph). The thicko on Switch said 'if any police are passing, I'll get them to have a word'. So endangering life is worth 'a word'.

I asked whether Arsehole down the road is still selling them to children; interestingly he's not selling them this year. Obviously confining his criminal and anti-social behaviour to handling stolen credit cards and sexually propositioning under-age girls. Allegedly. The only place that is selling them, reportedly, is Lidl on Acre Lane.

This evening, about an hour ago, I was coming home on the bus. The bus turned onto the South Circular and suddenly, the bangs of fireworks. Teenagers running randomly onto the busy three lane dual carriageway. I get off the bus and immediately I am a nervous wreck. The smell of gunpowder is bad enough, but the bangs and flashes are very scary.

By the time I have crossed the road I am a nervous wreck. And I am not by nature a nervous person. I get some comfort by a police car arriving on a blue light and pausing outside the Youth Club (and whatever good that might have done once upon a time is entirely negated by it being a gathering place for every undesirable between 10 and 20 in the neighbourhood). It drives off and turns into my road, before driving onto the Estate opposite. I sneak past the aggressive looking group of teenagers 'hanging  around' outside the shops and get home. At which point the bangs get louder and more frequent. Then I hear screams of pain from the end of Gert Boulevard. Real pain. Coming immediately after a bang at close proximity, I know that yet another person has been hit by a firework.

I hope it's not one of my neighbours or an innocent passer-by maybe walking home from Tesco. I hope it's one of the firework-throwing scrotes. I hope it's nasty. I hope that maybe they've lost an eye, or their eardrum has burst. Or their ugly little face is scarred for the rest of their short and brutal life. Unforgiving I am. There's been more sirens, even a helicopter circling (for what reason who knows - being near the junction of two main roads there's often a circling helicopter, some people saying being relatively close to the prison doesn't help).

And it's the noise the noise the noise the NOISE. That in itself would be bad enough. It's almost enough to make one a recluse but why on earth let those little pieces of shit ruin my life -  the offspring of big pieces of shit who don't give a toss that their precious progeny are out causing mayhem on a school night. If you happen to see me out after dark between now and about the middle of November, and I'm behaving like a big wet nancy, you know why. I can't even go to the big fridge in the shed without jumping. In my own back garden.

I know there are still people who think that fireworks are wholesome fun, but I have yet to find one persuasive argument as to why they should be sold to any private unlicensed individual. I'm all for organised displays and I think licences should be cheap and non-onerous for anyone who can provide recent proof of a clean-ish Criminal Record. But even organised displays run by responsible adults cause accidents. So why anyone thinks selling them to children, idiots and criminals is acceptable defeats me.

And I will repeat my one good reason why public sale of fireworks, to children, or those buying them on behalf of children are extremely bad news

That was me, four years ago, 60 hours after being hit with a firework. The burns were superficial, the scars are barely visible in most lights. The psychological effects remain. I also believe that this was the onset of my CFS.

Two years ago I selected a variety of news stories from around the country (and further afield, too).  It still shocks me to read it even without clicking the links.

Kerron's firework incidents

Can We Ban Fireworks Please

He had a near miss; his cat wasn't so lucky.

Yet more evidence, if any is needed, that there is no longer any justification for fireworks to be available on open sale.

Fireworks

Just been walking back from the pub after having a couple of pleasant halves. Walking along Streatham Place. Some horrible children are busy throwing fireworks, with bangs sparks and gunpowder, then running off along Tierney Road. I called the police. The operator said that she'll send a patrol along and if they're still there, throwing fireworks, they'll 'have a word'. Hmm.

Section 80 of the Explosives Act 1875 prohibits throwing or setting off fireworks on any highway, street, thoroughfare or public place...this carries a maximum of a £5,000 fine, six months in prison or both. Or the police will 'have a word'.

I'm certain they are some of the gang of fifteen who beat up a man outside Tesco (he was resuscitated by the Police), whose eye was hanging out of its socket, and filmed it on a camcorder (which the Police confiscated) a fortnight or so ago.

Meanwhile, someone on BBC London News is saying that it's a breach of Human Rights to contemplate fining parents up to £5,000 if their child commits an 'innocent mistake'. Huh? What aspect of these violent incidents is 'innocent'.

We crossed over the South Circular Road (speed limit 40 mph) in the rush hour, in the dark, wearing dark non-reflective clothing, rather than be hit by rockets. Half an hour later my pulse was still racing. Next time, I dial 999.

Misuse of fireworks may also amount to a breach of the peace, particularly where an individual lets off a firework in the street and is causing a nuisance...Under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1986, a person is guilty of an offence if they use disorderly behaviour within the hearing or sight of another person causing them harassment, alarm or distress. This is a more serious offence than breach of the peace.

Trouble is, finding the fuckers, locking them up, and making a case that stands up in court is more difficult than simply passing toothless legislation. And imprisoning the fuckers who sell them would help.

Wholesome fun...

Eye agony of firework victim, 11

A south Wales boy has suffered permanent eye damage from a firework...Luke spent five days in hospital after he was injured while walking home from the park with his brother.
He said: "There were big boys older than us, about 16, outside the gate and you could see them going in their pockets.

Widow, 81, flees firework attack

An elderly woman had a narrow escape from her burning home after a lighted firework was pushed through the letterbox in her front door. She was confronted by a wall of flames across her hallway, but managed to escape through the back door.

Gang tied fireworks to dog's body

Thugs blew up a Yorkshire terrier by tying fireworks to its body and then took pictures of the aftermath on their mobile phones, the dog's owner said...their pet, Emmie, had bolted because of firework noise.The next morning Mr Barrington was told the badly mutilated body of a small dog had been found in a nearby dustbin.

Stable firework arson kills horse

Call to curb bomb-like fireworks

Shops in a London borough have been asked not to sell fireworks over fears the bangs could cause distress in the wake of the July bomb attacks.
Letters from Westminster Council were sent to 20 shopkeepers saying the sound of explosions could cause concern to Londoners left nervous by the bombings.

Fireman hit in face in bonfire brick attack

Bonfire night 2005: A night of fun?

A BONFIRE night of injury, misery, violence and mayhem across Greater Manchester is revealed today. This weekend firefighters came under an unprecedented number of terrifying attacks, with one man threatening to shoot crew members. A young father suffered horrendous injuries when a firework he lit blew up. Scores of people were injured and property damaged in related incidents...A man in Radcliffe was seriously injured after a firework exploded as he tried to light it. He could lose an eye... One woman in Hindley was taken to hospital after being hit on the head by a rocket...A man in his 30s also required medical attention after being hit by fireworks in Ashton under Lyne...
A man in sheltered accommodation (in) Gorton, had a lucky escape after a firework was fired through his kitchen window as he watched TV.

Fire crews attacked by yobs as emergency calls flood in

Firefighters in Yorkshire were pelted with bricks, bottles, and fireworks by Guy Fawkes Night hooligans as crews all over the region tried to deal with hundreds of calls to illegal bonfires. Six customers at the Brown Hare pub in Harehills Lane, Leeds, were injured when a man threw a commercial firework into the bar at 6.50pm on Saturday. Police said the firework produced more than 150 separate explosions, causing extensive damage but no serious injuries...
...In Beverley, a firework was pushed through the letter box of a house and exploded in the box, causing damage. North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service dealt with 42 bonfire-related incidents, including damage to two house roofs. The worst was at Harwood Dale, west of Scarborough,when a fire was discovered in the roof of a detached cottage. Firefighters were unable to prevent damage to external and internal timbers and there was also some damage to a bathroom. The fire is believed to have been caused by a rocket. Earlier, they were called to Northcliffe Avenue in Scarborough where a firework had become wedged in the eaves of a house causing smoke damage.

HORROR AT FIREWORKS

Seven children were among those ferried to hospital by a fleet of ambulances. Most of the injuries were minor but a boy aged 10 had to be transferred to a specialist burns unit. His condition yesterday was said to be serious but stable...

...Meanwhile, in Benfleet, Essex, a woman aged 55 suffered injuries to her chest and abdomen when a firework penetrated her clothing. In Colchester, a 40-year-old man received burns to both eyes after a firework went off in his face. At Chichester, West Sussex, an eight-year-old had leg injuries after fireworks went off in a house.

IT'S REALLY A MIRACLE THAT NONE OF THE FIRE CREW DIED

BRICKS, bottles, fireworks and verbal abuse rained down on police and fire crews as bonfire night was marred by violence. Emergency crews were lucky to escape serious injury when they were targeted by thugs as they attended callouts. The worst incident came in Rutherglen, near Glasgow, where a full-scale riot left two policemen injured. One officer was struck on the arm by a firework and the other suffered a broken nose when he was hit with a brick.

Malicious

A car containing a family and their baby burst into flames on a motorway after a firework was thought to have been placed in the engine. The family were driving on the M621 in their Ford Focus when they noticed sparks coming out from under the bonnet. They pulled onto the hard shoulder and managed to get themselves and their small baby out before the fire took hold.

Explosion in claims after Guy Fawkes night events

A study commissioned by Churchill Home Insurance found almost two million Britons - 3.3 per cent of the population - had reported damage to their home or car due to fireworks going astray. And, for more Britons, Guy Fawkes meant even greater damage: more than four million people claim to have been hurt or have a family member who has been hurt by a firework in the past, Churchill found...

...The survey also showed the British public had poor knowledge about firework safety. Almost half (47 per cent) of Britons planning to stage their own fireworks display admitted to storing the explosives in their house or an out-building. Nearly a third (31 per cent) did not take any precautions and left fireworks in the cardboard box they came in.

Keep them safe!

Over the past five years over 350 pre-school children, some as young as one-year-old, were treated in hospital for firework injuries.

Take care with pets

PET owners are being warned that Bonfire Night can be the most traumatic time of the year for animals. Nationally, around 5,000 pets are expected to be treated for firework-related injuries and distress at this time of year. As many as 40 per cent of pet owners will see their cats and dogs suffer from behavioural problems.

Have-a-go hero relives Halloween horror

HAVE-A-GO hero Simon Monk today relived the horror moments when he was attacked by a gang of Halloween yobs and said: "I’d do it all again." The battered dad-of-two, who is waiting to have his face rebuilt by surgeons, had fireworks aimed at his head and was smashed in the face.
Mr Monk, a forklift truck engineer, was left with a fractured cheek bone and eye socket after confronting the youths who were terrorising his cul-de-sac

Trauma

In New Zealand there was a progressive banning of all Pyrotechnics except for legitimate displays...in the early 1990's legislation was passed that all fireworks were banned in New Zealand except for legitimate displays for Guy Fawkes night Incidents that made this legislation more easily enacted were stunts such as attaching coins to the heads of fireworks to make them pierce windows and soem idiot attempting to shoot down the medical retrieval helicopter with a sky rocket...

... In New York City there have always been a significant number of Fireworks injuries in the period of time leading up the the Fourth of July. Last year the Police and Fire Departments conduct a vigorous enforcement campaign against the sale of fireworks, which as been illegal in New York City for decades. In 1996 there was not a single fireworks related injury.

Child Accident Prevention Trust

How many children are injured in firework accidents?

In Great Britain in the four weeks surrounding Bonfire Night 2001, 1362 people were treated in hospital casualty departments after an accident involving a firework. 685 children under 16 were treated in hospital for injuries caused by fireworks – that is over half of all cases in Great Britain. Many more boys than girls were injured by fireworks– particularly in the 12 to 15 age group.

More on fireworks

In response to a commenter who buries their head in the sand and seems more bothered by swearing than by physical maiming...

You might want to know how my good wholesome entertainment was ruined two years ago - take a look at this photo . My rheumatologist says that may well be the cause of my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which I've suffered for nearly two years. And I would like to know how letting off loud, frightening bangs at two o'clock on a Monday morning can be seen as wholesome.

I would wager that, along with Halloween, a good half of people 'celebrating' do not have a clue what they are celebrating, and why.

I say 'ruin it' for the good kids who cower in fright at the repeated bangs. I'm sorry, when I was a child, it happened on two or three nights at most, early evening only, and not with bangs that ricocheted for miles.

GrocerJack refers to Baghdad. On Saturday evening I had made reference to Basra. I think we are both making undue light of the terrible situations out there; however, there are numerous people traumatised by explosions who don't need reminding every night for a month. You might have a different view, including of my language, if you had witnessed me trembling in tears on the sofa at midnight on Saturday.

And the accident in Kettering is a reminder that even a well organised event by an apparently experienced reputable company can go horribly wrong.

The DTI has statistics on firework injuries that show over a thousand each year 2001 - 2004 just in a four week October - November period. My injury was relatively minor, with scarring on my neck that is only visible with sleeveless tops in certain light, but the mental scars lie a lot deeper. I don't understand why I have to live with that for the rest of my life, nor why hundreds of people each year should have to live with more noticeable, deeper or wider-spread scars just so that some people can get their rocks off in an orgy of violence. I think it has been proven that the new legislation (although a step in the right direction) is virtually toothless. Reputable shops refuse to sell fireworks, or refuse to sell to children, or won't sell the illegal ones, but *everybody* knows which anti-social nutter in their neighbourhood is happy to sell illegally imported fireworks to children.

When I heard the gunshot-like bangs at 2 am this morning I momentarily considered contacting the Noise Squad or the Police, even though I knew instantly it would be quite the most asinine pointless phone call ever made "Erm, someone's letting fireworks off somewhere in South London. It's illegal innit?"

In Northern Ireland, it is illegal for anyone to let off fireworks, except sparklers and indoor fireworks, without a licence; an unlicenced person so doing can be fined up to £5000.

Seven bloody hours

It is driving me fucking mad.

What bloody right have those fucking arseholes got to bombard and bombard and bombard us with their moronic "Whoosh! Band! Weeh!"

Fucking moronic arseholes every single last one of them.

Without exception.

Tough bloody shit if you bought fireworks

Leave a comment.

Argue with me.

Rest assured I shall not approve that comment. And rest a-bloody-ssured, not only only will you be de-blogrolled, you'll also be banned as a commenter.

Fucking bloody terrorists. The whole bleeding lot of you ought to be ASBO'd forthwith.

How fucking dare you? I've had it non-bloody stop for two fucking weeks. I'm goiung to get it non-bloody stop for another fucking week.

Some arsehole at work took her bloody child out 'trick and treating' on Monday (hello? what's that about?) and said it was a bit worrying, because the sticks from the fireworks 'might have hit the children'. Oooh, lah-di-dah. My bleedingheart bleeds. Try getting hit by a fucking live firework. And don't tell me about cultural sensitivity. It's five to bloody twelve. Setting off bangs at this time is not about anything but BULLYING. And if you do it, take a long hard bloody look at yourself, examine your conscience - if you have one - and fuck off from this Blog because you ARE ABSOLUTELTY NOT WELCOME here.

A couple of years ago I read Frizzy Logic who had to comfort a terrified toddler night after night. Lyle D4D has a hound on sedatives.

Leave a comment. Try and justify it. Just remember, I shall laugh and scorn you. And ban you. And name and shame you.

Oh, and by the way - if you happen to work with me, and let off a party popper anywhere near me around Christmas, take this as fair warning that

a) I am never game for bullying, especially when disguised as a practical joke;

b) You will get slapped across the face AND your hair pulled. And your balls kicked; and

c) I shall file a formal complaint and demand dismissal; I shall simultaneously report you to the police. This is non-negotiable. I shall be sending an email around all Conference delegates to this effect.

Hopelessly inappropriate post

Terrorism is bad. It's a given.

People dying prematurely and violently is bad. That's a given.

People being injured in or frightened by explosions is bad. That's a given.

I really CBATG but I would wager a very large amount that over my lifetime, more people in Britain have been respectively killed, injured or frightened by fireworks than by terrorists.

We don't have much of a war on fireworks.

Readers who joined the mmofm experience since November 2003 might like to read this but won't want to see this photo

I still haven't submitted my CICA claim because I am convinced that my subsequent health problems have been as an indirect result of this incident. No doctor actually specifically agrees with me but not one is prepared categorically to rule it out.

More firework mayhem in Brixton

Yobs throw fireworks into crowd and Family seconds from death

I'm sure there are similar tales from other towns.

Ban fireworks!

Just back from spending the evening in St George's A&E being treated for burns to my right shoulder and neck after some fucking scrote child threw a firework into the pub which bounced off the floor and down my coat.

Not nice.

Details later

Explosions?

I don't know whether I should be concerned but there have ben two loud bangs, at roughly half-hour intervals seemingly yards from Gert Cottage.

They're not cars backfiring. If they are fireworks they are the loudest fireworks I have ever heard. I don't think they're bombs - they don't sound like any bombs I have heard explode.

I suppose they could be demoliton-related, but I am not aware of any explosive demolitions planned round here.

I hope they're not gunshots, but, I suppose, there would be some personal comfort if they were.

I've not heard any sirens from the Emergency Services.

I suppose I get a little jumpy because I share a party wall with a company that sells car-paint.

Can I hide, please?

Can I just disappear under the duvet for the next week or so? It's been bad enough for the past six weeks, but some f***er to$$er is setting off loud fireworks yards from where I sit. I'm really sorely tempted to ring up the noise squad. I can't take this for another week month.

I hate loud illegal fireworks set off in the street by under-eighteens.

And don't the cretins realise that Firework night is 5th November?

It's not difficult:

Remember, remember the fifth of November

(and Diwali's the 4th, this year).

Perhaps if their parasitical, scrounging, criminal parents had bothered to send them to school they might know about Bonfire night being 5th November.