Firework Safety

A word before we start

I’ve been in fireworks for over forty years, and in that time I’ve seen some marvellous displays and one or two that ended with a call to the insurance company. The difference is nearly always a bit of planning. None of what follows is complicated, and most of it is the law, so please give it five minutes.

When you’re allowed to let them off

England and Wales: no fireworks between 11pm and 7am. There are a handful of nights when the curfew is relaxed:

• Any ordinary night – finish by 11pm, all year round
• Bonfire Night, Thursday 5 November 2026 – you’ve got until midnight
• Diwali, Sunday 8 November 2026 – until 1am the next morning
• New Year’s Eve, Thursday 31 December 2026 – until 1am on New Year’s Day
• Chinese New Year, Saturday 6 February 2027 – until 1am the next morning

Scotland: they’re stricter north of the border. Adult fireworks (F2 and F3) can only be used on private land between 6pm and 11pm, so no afternoon displays. The same special nights get extra time: Bonfire Night until midnight, and Hogmanay, Diwali and Chinese New Year until 1am. Councils can also declare Firework Control Zones, where fireworks are off-limits altogether, back garden included. Ring your council before you buy. Get it wrong in Scotland and you could face a fine of up to £5,000, six months inside, or both.

Northern Ireland: most fireworks need a Department of Justice licence to buy, keep or use. We don’t deliver fireworks to Northern Ireland. [Confirm for Sandling]

Wherever you are in the UK:

• Setting off or throwing fireworks, sparklers included, in the street or any public place is against the law.Your own garden, or private land where the owner has said yes, and nowhere else.
• Your local council may have its own rules on top, so it’s worth a quick check before the big night.
• Breaking firework law, whether using or selling, can mean an unlimited fine and up to six months in prison, or a £90 on-the-spot fine.

Age restrictions – legal notice

It is illegal to sell category F2 fireworks and F3 fireworks to anyone under the age of 18.

It is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to possess category F2 fireworks or category F3 fireworks in a public place.

• Ordering online: you’ll be asked to confirm you’re 18 or over at checkout, and an adult has to sign for every delivery. No exceptions, not even for very mature fifteen-year-olds.
• Collecting from us: (only in our Doncaster Warehouse currently as we have moved from our Gloucestershire stores) we’re stricter than the law requires. We only hand fireworks over to customers aged 21 and over, and we may ask to see photo ID.
• Category F1 items carry their own age limits, for instance 12 for Christmas crackers and 16 for party poppers.
• In Scotland it’s a specific offence to buy fireworks for anyone under 18.

What the categories mean

Every firework sold in the UK carries a category. It tells you what the firework was made for and how far back your audience needs to be. You’ll find both on each product page and on the firework itself.

• F1 – Very low hazard: sparklers, party poppers, indoor novelties. Safety distance: 1 metre.
• F2 – Garden fireworks for use at home, outdoors. Safety distance: 8 metres.
• F3 – Bigger display fireworks for large gardens and open ground. Safety distance: 25 metres.
• F4 – Professional fireworks, for trained operators only. Safety distance: set by the professional. We don’t sell F4 at Sandling.

On our listings you may also spot 1.4G or 1.3G. That’s the UN hazard classification, which governs how fireworks are transported and stored. It’s a separate thing from the category.

Will your garden do? If you can’t get everybody back by at least the safety distance, pick a smaller category or treat yourselves to an organised display. I’ve never known anyone regret erring on the cautious side.

Noise ratings explained

Each product page carries a Noise Rating, so you can pick fireworks that suit the neighbours, the pets and Great-Aunt Mabel.

• 1 – Low Noise – A soft, dull break made to be quiet, or a very low-noise effect in the sky. Ground fireworks such as fountains and plain-effect roman candles can be quieter still.
• 2 – Reduced Noise – Effects made to keep the noise down, though you’ll still hear a moderate amount.
• 3 – Some Bangs – Usually a multi-effect cake mixing quiet effects with some noisier ones.
• 4 – Loud Bangs – Big, loud, colourful bursts, or bangs with no colour at all. Typically 25mm and 30mm calibre.
• 5 – Mega Loud – Noise is the main event, from a larger calibre. Usually salutes or reports.

After something gentler? Have a look at our Quiet Fireworks [confirm link]: all the colour, none of the bangs.

Doing it properly at home

1. Buy from a licensed retailer, and check every firework is UK-compliant and shows its category.
2. Plan ahead. Read every label in daylight and work out where things will go up and come down.
3. Keep your fireworks in a closed box and take them out one at a time.
4. Have a torch, a bucket of water, gloves and eye protection to hand before you start.
5. Light at arm’s length with a portfire or the lighter supplied, then step well back.
6. Never go back to a firework once it’s lit. I can’t say that one often enough.
7. If one doesn’t go off, don’t try to relight it. Leave it at least 30 minutes, then drop it in a bucket of water.
8. Never put fireworks in your pocket, and never throw them.
9. If it’s windy, wait for another night, and never aim fireworks at people, buildings or trees.
10. Keep alcohol well away from whoever is doing the lighting. Celebrate afterwards.
11. Supervise children at all times. No sparklers for the under-5s, and gloves for the older ones.
12. Keep pets indoors (more on that below).

Pets and wildlife

Plenty of people, and most animals, don’t care for sudden loud bangs. We’ve got pets of our own, and a few simple steps go a long way:

• Let your neighbours know when you’re planning to let fireworks off, so they can get their animals in.
• Go for quieter fireworks. Check the Noise Rating on each product, or browse our Quiet Fireworks range.
• Keep your own pets indoors with the curtains drawn, some familiar background noise and a safe place to hide.
• Check the bonfire for hedgehogs and other visitors before lighting. Build it on the day, or move it before you light it.
• Tidy up the next morning. Spent fireworks and sparklers stay hot for a surprisingly long time and can burn paws.

There’s more in our full guide: Fireworks, Pets, Wildlife & Responsible Use [confirm URL].

The morning after: clearing up safely

• Walk the garden in daylight and pick up every bit of debris, rocket sticks included.
• Soak spent fireworks and used sparklers in a bucket of water overnight before they go in the general waste.
• Never burn fireworks or their packaging, least of all in a stove, boiler or anywhere enclosed.
• If you find one that didn’t go off, soak it in water and leave it be. Don’t be tempted to have another go.

Putting on a bigger display

If you’re organising a display for a school, club, wedding or village do, it needs more planning. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) points organisers to two free guides from the Explosives Industry Group (EIG). These replaced the old HSE guides HSG123 and HSG124 back in 2018:

• Giving Your Own Firework Display – the Red Guide: for displays you fire yourself (F1–F3 only).
• Working Together on Firework Displays – the Blue Guide: for displays fired by a professional operator.

The HSE’s own checklist is on its Organising firework displays page. The short version:

Before the event

• Look over the site in daylight for overhead power lines, trees, buildings and anything else in the way.
• Make sure fireworks have room to land well clear of spectators, with space behind the firing area for debris.
• Check the wind direction, and decide now what you’ll do if it changes.
• Plan for emergencies, including who rings 999.
• Store fireworks safely in a closed container, away from anything that could set them off. Give us a ring if you’d like advice.
• Category F4 fireworks are for professional operators only.
• If there’s a bar, keep it well away from the display.

On the day

• Check the site, the weather and the wind again.
• Keep everyone out of the firing area, the safety zone around it and the fallout area.
• Don’t let spectators bring their own fireworks. Every crowd has one enthusiast.
• If there’s a bonfire, check there are no children or animals inside before it’s lit. Never use petrol or paraffin to get it going.

The morning after

• Check and clear the site carefully, and dispose of any fireworks safely.

If it’s a public event, have a word with your insurer about public liability cover. Every pack of ours comes with our A Guide to Safety leaflet [confirm Sandling packs include this]. Rather leave it to someone else? Our professional display team [confirm link] can fire it for you.

Useful links

• GOV.UK – Fireworks: the law (England and Wales)
• Scottish Government – Fireworks: the law
• HSE – Organising firework displays
• RoSPA – Fireworks safety
• Fireworks, Pets, Wildlife & Responsible Use

This page is guidance only. Always read and follow the instructions on each firework.