Help snuff out illegal bonfires

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Local residents are being asked to report any unattended and illegal bonfire sites on public ground to Renfrewshire Council. In a drive to make Renfrewshire safer this year at fireworks time, Strathclyde Police, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue and Renfrewshire Council are joining forces to clear up any illegal sites before anyone gets hurt at them.

As part of the Renfrewshire’s ‘Fireworks be safe, not sorry’ 2006 campaign they will be asking all residents to report all bonfire sites to Renfrewshire Council’s Environmental Services on 0141 842 5820. Strathclyde Police will also be upping their patrols over the fireworks period in a bid to catch anyone found mishandling fireworks. It is an offence for children under the age of 18 to possess fireworks in public and for anyone of any age to set off fireworks in the street. Therefore Strathclyde police are encouraging all residents to report any incidents of fireworks being set off in the street or any under 18 year old they believe maybe in possession of fireworks in public to them on 0141 532 5900.

Last year Strathclyde Fire and Rescue put out 179 bonfires. Area Manager, Frank Waters, from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue service said: “Fireworks and bonfires are extremely dangerous, especially when they are not organised or handled properly. There have been many publicised events of people and children being injured, severely burned, or worse killed at unofficial bonfire sites over the years. We want to ensure that no one in Renfrewshire suffers such injuries this year and to do this we need the help of the public. Our message is go to an organised official display and report any debris you spot. “

A Renfrewshire Council spokesperson said: “By working in partnership with the key emergency services of Strathclyde Police and Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service, we are aiming to cut down on the amount of injuries caused this year by fireworks and bonfires. The best way to do this is to prevent these dangerous unofficial bonfires. We need the whole community's support with this, and ask anyone that sees any of these potential bonfire sites on public ground to call the council to get the sites cleared up.”

Further information

Firework safety podcast
This year, Renfrewshire teenagers are also 'podcasting' other young people to warn them on the dangers of fireworks. Use this link to view the video or listen to the audio broadcast.

Press Release: Friday 3 November 2006