Loud fireworks could face tighter restrictions

Wednesday 14 December 2022

There are going to be tighter controls on fireworks in Jersey, but it's not yet clear exactly what form they will take.

It follows a petition started by Kat Knight, which has so far reached nearly 2,500 signatures, calling on the government to "...make fireworks with a bang illegal in Jersey to prevent the stress of animals."

Now, the Home Affairs Minister has responded to that petition, saying that tougher restrictions will be brought in, during her term of office.

Deputy Miles said in her response while she shared the concerns of the petitioners, "...in relation to the inconvenience and distress that noisy fireworks can cause to vulnerable people and animals," she could not support the petition, "as there is no clear mechanism to allow 'loud' fireworks to be banned."

The Minister said there was a... "strong argument that current regulatory arrangements are insufficient, and she does not support the current permissive arrangements for the direct sale of fireworks to the public."

Deputy Miles said she wanted to see "greater controls" on the availability of fireworks, "especially the larger and (most likely) louder types."