Clause 11 - Offences
Fireworks Bill
4:00 pm
Ms Shona McIsaac (Cleethorpes, Labour)
The hon. Member for Blaby said that it was already an offence to let a firework off in the street but he doubted whether anyone had ever been ''done'' for that activity. I wonder whether other hon. Members, including my hon. Friend the Minister, received a letter from Coventry city council detailing how Coventry police officers were the first in the west midlands to impose on-the-spot fines for throwing fireworks in the street. That scheme is successful and we should extend it, rather than just having pilot schemes. The council also says that it has a mystery shopper campaign—I presume that that is through trading standards legislation—that has netted several retailers selling fireworks to children, and it has prosecuted for that. Regulations can be effective and I hope that those successes are echoed throughout Britain when the Bill is enacted.