Fireworks Pyrotechnics in the UK - Consultation by the Office for Product Safety Standards
Renfrewshire Council · 18 August 2026
Back to Communities and Housing Policy Board — 18 August 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Communities and Housing Policy Board On: 18 August 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Fireworks & Pyrotechnics in the UK – Consultation by the Office for Product Safety & Standards ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The Office for Product Safety and Standards, part of the Department for Business and Trade, is seeking views on proposed reforms to reserved legislation concerning the categorisation of fireworks and pyrotechnic articles. The proposed changes would recategorise a number of products in order to help address the harm, injury and disruption that can arise from their misuse. This follows work carried out by both Westminster and Scottish Governments to review this sector, and ongoing campaigns by both administrations to promote the safe use of fireworks. 1.2 The regulatory landscape for fireworks is complex, with both reserved and devolved legislation restricting these products in different ways across the UK. The open consultation on Fireworks and Pyrotechnics in the UK seeks views on proposed reforms which will amend existing reserved legislation - The Pyrotechnic Articles (Safety) Regulations 2015 - which currently categorises fireworks and pyrotechnic articles, according to their risk during intended use. In particular, the consultation suggests the following: • Restriction of louder fireworks to professional displays only, • Expanding the list of products not permissible for domestic use, and • Reviewing lower risk products to reclassify these to better reflect the current risk they pose.
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PUBLIC 1.3 Proposed restrictions represent a balance between the rights of both those who support, and those who do not support, the domestic, consumer use of fireworks. Specifically, the proposals seek to preserve the enjoyment of fireworks for celebrations, while preventing harm and distress to others caused by unpredictable noise disturbance and anti-social behaviour. Importantly, a focus of the consultation is public order, with misuse of these products against emergency services being noted as a key concern. 1.4 While this will create an additional enforcement duty for local authority services, this is an amendment to an already well-established regulatory regime. Businesses involved in the supply of these products are already registered with the local authority, and annual inspections take place. Clear guidelines and information for the retail sector will reduce that burden further. 1.5 The final date for submissions to the consultation is 7 October 2026. A response will be submitted by the Council within the timescales set, following this Board. The proposed response is attached as Appendix 2. Renfrewshire Council are supportive of the proposals to re-categorise lower risk fireworks and to seek to limit the noise level on all fireworks available for consumer use. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Communities and Housing Policy Board: 2.1 Agrees the consultation response at Appendix 2. 2.2 Authorises the Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure to submit the response prior to the closing date of 7 October 2026. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The regulatory landscape for fireworks is complex, with both reserved and devolved legislation restricting these products in different ways across the UK. Regulated factors include safety or storage requirements, risk categorisation, age restriction for sale or supply, and where or when fireworks may be used. Regulators with an interest in the enforcement of these restrictions include Police Scotland, the Health & Safety Executive, and local authority services such as Environmental Health, Trading Standards and Community Safety.
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PUBLIC 3.2 Polling undertaken by the Office for Product Safety & Standards in 2021 and 2025 suggests divided opinion on the consumer use of fireworks. In 2021, 61% of respondents stated that they personally enjoy the use of fireworks, with 45% having attended a display of some kind in the preceding year. Conversely, many respondents reported increasing public disquiet with the use of fireworks, with incidents of anti-social behaviour being cited as having increased by over 30% between 2021 and 2025. The disturbance to peace and quiet was noted as a concern by 71% of respondents in 2025, up by 16% from 2021. Over 50% of those polled also reported fireworks being set off outwith permitted hours, which suggests that existing legislative controls to minimise disturbance from these products are not sufficient. 3.3 In Renfrewshire, there are 20 businesses currently registered for the storage and periodic supply of fireworks. One such business is also involved in delivering professional displays. Businesses involved in general retail sale must register with the local authority to store up to 250kg net explosive quantity. These requirements are administered and enforced by Trading Standards in Renfrewshire. 3.4 Officers are supportive of the proposals in the consultation which offer an opportunity to tackle growing public concerns, while still allowing for significant enjoyment of these products in a responsible way. 3.5 Retailers and regulators will need to work together through any implementation schedule, to understand and apply the changes. Retailers, wholesalers and distributors will be required to adapt to new packaging and labelling requirements. Trading Standards will have a key role in engaging with businesses to promote understanding of the requirements and support effective implementation. This will include retail monitoring, investigation of complaints and the use of enforcement powers where necessary to ensure compliance across the sector. Effective, clear guidance and realistic implementation timescales will therefore be important to all involved parties. Implications of the Report 1. Financial – None. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None. 3. Community/Council Planning – • Our Renfrewshire is thriving – robust restrictions promote safer and more sustainable community celebrations, reducing costs associated with enforcement and emergency response, and helping to maintain attractive, safe places in which people live, work and visit. • Our Renfrewshire is well – proposals address concerns around noise disturbance, anxiety and impacts on vulnerable residents, including older people, those with sensory sensitivities and animal owners.
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PUBLIC • Our Renfrewshire is fair – changes will reduce the disproportionate impact that nuisance fireworks can have on vulnerable communities and those already experiencing disadvantage • Our Renfrewshire is safe – outcomes seek to reduce firework-related injuries, antisocial behaviour, attacks on emergency workers and risks to public safety 4. Legal – None. 5. Property/Assets – None. 6. Information Technology – None. 7. Equality & Human Rights – (a) The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – None. 9. Procurement – None. 10. Risk – None. 11. Privacy Impact – None. 12. Climate Risk – While the primary purpose of the consultation is to address some of the key harms associated with the misuse of fireworks, improve public health outcomes, there may be limited and indirect climate benefits associated with proposals. These include a reduction in fire risk to greenspaces and biodiversity assets during periods of hot and dry weather, improved local air quality during peak fireworks periods and reduced pressure on emergency services. 13. Children’s Rights - Implementation of the proposed restrictions on fireworks will reduce the potential negative impacts which higher risk fireworks pose for children, including antisocial behaviour associated with their misuse. 14. COSLA Policy Position – N/A. List of Background Papers None ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Faye Wilson, Lead Officer (Trading Standards) Email: faye.wilson@renfrewshire.gov.uk
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PUBLIC APPENDIX 1 CLASSIFICATION TYPES OF FIREWORKS AND PYROTECHNIC ARTICLES UNDER REVIEW Category Definition Noise Pressure Level F1 Fireworks which present a very low hazard and negligible noise level, and which are intended for use in confined areas, including inside domestic buildings e.g. crackers, party poppers. Must not exceed 120 dBAimp at an advised standing distance of 1m. F2 Fireworks which present a low hazard and low noise level, and which are intended for outdoor use in confined areas such as private gardens e.g. roman candles, rockets. Must not exceed 120 dBAimp at an advised standing distance of 8m. F3 Fireworks which present a medium hazard, which are intended for outdoor use in large open areas and whose noise level is not harmful to human health e.g. larger scale amateur displays Must not exceed 120 dBAimp at an advised standing distance of 25m. F4 Fireworks which present a high hazard, which are intended for use only by ‘persons with specialist knowledge’ and whose noise level is not harmful to human health e.g. large scale, professional, public displays. No limit but the noise level must not be harmful to human health. P1 Pyrotechnic articles, other than fireworks and theatrical pyrotechnic articles, which present a low hazard e.g. coloured smoke bombs. The pyrotechnic article must be designed in such a way as to minimise risk to health, property and the environment from debris when initiated inadvertently. P2 Pyrotechnic articles, other than fireworks and theatrical pyrotechnic articles, which are intended for handling or use only by persons with specialist knowledge e.g. bird scarers, airbag detonation systems. The pyrotechnic article must be designed in such a way as to minimise risk to health. Requires appropriate storage facilities and insurance coverage.
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PUBLIC APPENDIX 2 Consultation response – Fireworks and Pyrotechnics in the UK Section 1 – Updating the banned list and reviewing the regulation of F1 and P2 products • Proposal 1 – updating the banned list of F2 and F3 fireworks Q1: Are there any other particular F2 and F3 fireworks products that you think the general public should not be allowed to buy? We do not hold any data on specific firework types linked to misuse locally. Our data from public reports is more anecdotal in nature, alleging that low- cost fireworks are more likely to be purchased and misused by young persons in anti-social disruptive incidents. We do not hold any data on specific fireworks linked to injuries locally. We have however, received reports of “near misses” whereby consumers have misunderstood instructions for use on fireworks with a larger explosive composition which has led to fireworks being fired horizontally, rather than vertically. The bulk of concerns reported by the public and to/by Elected Members relate to noise, and pet welfare concerns. While noise limited fireworks may not eradicate all these concerns, they would certainly allow for more of a compromise between those who enjoy, and those who are disturbed by, the noise of fireworks. Q2: If more products are added to the regulation 33 banned list, what consequences might there be for consumers, industry, enforcement authorities, professional users, and others? While fireworks are a legal consumer product, it is likely that reducing consumer availability will have more positive effects on communities than negative effects. Enquiries and complaints to Trading Standards and Community Safety services invariably mention low noise options, or a “ban” on consumer supply. Public displays are mentioned as being preferred as a “safe” option which allows for those who do not enjoy to at least predict the period in which to expect disruption. A reduction on availability of some products – particularly those currently within F3 – will almost certainly lower the risk of injury or fire, which in turn will reduce the demand on emergency services. A negative consequence may be that this could cause a “black market” in fireworks made unavailable to consumers by means of re-categorisation. This will cause additional enforcement burdens on regulators such as Trading Standards. Border controls will require to be increased to prevent incursion of old stock, and consumer awareness will have to be managed if there is a sell-through (and therefore use) period of old stock.
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PUBLIC Q3: Do you agree that regulation 33(1)(g) should be amended to make explicit that a firework comprising more than one shot tube is banned from sale to the general public? We agree with this proposal. Trading Standards have previously received reports of “near misses” due to accidental misreading of instructions on these specific products. Clear drafting will be required to allow for effective enforcement of the restrictions, and to reduce disputes over interpretation. The restrictions will need to be stated plainly and clearly in the legislation to best assist compliance by the retail sector. • Proposal 2 – reviewing the regulations on F1 and P1 products so they are proportionate and effective Q4: Do you agree that the age limit for purchasing Christmas crackers should be removed? We agree with this proposal. We hold no recorded complaints or enquiries in relation to safety or misuse of Christmas Crackers. These products have minimal explosive content, and present a very low risk. Retaining the age limit for sale, but removing the legal requirement to age check would relieve an unnecessary burden on retail to maintain an age verification system for these products. Parental supervision messaging should remain. Q5: Are there any other specific F1 and P1 pyrotechnics that should have their regulatory requirements increased or decreased? The possession and use of pyrotechnic articles (such as smoke bombs or flares) is restricted in Scotland under the Fireworks & Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022. As these aspects are enforced by Police Scotland, we do not hold any data on whether these restrictions have had a demonstrable effect on use. The lack of restriction on retail sale or supply to the general public however, means that items are still freely available for misuse. In particular this can be seen at football events in larger cities, and this poses a safety threat for both the public and emergency services. Any restrictions considered should however allow for current legitimate use in events such as religious ceremonies or marriages, or running events where colour is a feature.
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PUBLIC Section 2 – Reducing noise impacts • Proposal 3 – reducing fireworks noise Q6: Do you agree the decibel level of fireworks consumers use should be lowered? Yes, to 90 db (A,imp) (reducing perceived loudness by approximately seven- eights) We consider that the decibel level should be reduced to the lowest level possible for consumer firework products. For garden displays, the effect should be about the visuals from fireworks given the domestic setting. Given the proximity of these products to audiences, reducing the permitted noise level to 90 dB(A)(Imp), broadly comparable to a lawnmower or power tool, would still result in them remaining loud and clearly audible. However, this reduction would provide significant relief to residents and animals affected by firework noise. Q7: What might be the positive impacts of reducing the maximum decibel level of fireworks available to the general public? While fireworks are a legal consumer product, it is likely that reducing noise limits will have more positive effects on communities than negative effects. Enquiries and complaints to Trading Standards and Community Safety services invariably mention low noise options, or a “ban” on consumer supply. Public displays (if available) will still be able to access and utilise fireworks with a greater explosive content, with the added benefit of allowing those who do not enjoy the noise aspect to at least predict the period in which to expect disruption. Q8: What might be the negative impacts of reducing the maximum decibel level of fireworks available to the general public? Many areas in Scotland do not have any organised displays available for the public during fireworks period, including Renfrewshire. If citizens do prefer louder fireworks for any reason there will be no routes for them to enjoy these products. However, it is considered this is a small disbenefit for the individual, weighed against a greater benefit for neighbours, pets, farm stock and the wider community. This may cause a “black market” in fireworks made unavailable to consumers by means of re-categorisation. This will cause additional enforcement burdens on regulators such as Trading Standards. Border controls will require to be increased to prevent incursion of old stock, and consumer awareness will have to be managed if there is a sell-through (and therefore use) period of old stock.
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PUBLIC Section 3 – Lead-in periods Q9: How much lead in time would businesses need to prepare for the changes proposed in this consultation and why? Lead in time must be balanced between the practicalities for industry, the burden on regulators and consumer concerns. We would recommend a minimal lead-in period of 12 months due to the seasonal nature of the fireworks market, with a 12 month implementation period to follow, to allow existing stock to be sold through. Q10: What other things should we consider when setting a lead in time? Other key considerations will include: • existing global manufacturing schedule for these products (and how any changes will fit in), • training and guidance for the retail sector e.g. guidance documents, posters, • training for enforcement agencies, • consumer messaging which must be clear during this time, as it means in real terms they will not see a reduction in noise for at least 3 years due to selling periods.