Have a sparkly but safe Bonfire Night

Published: Wednesday, 25 October 2023

So many of us love Bonfire Night, but make sure yours doesn't go with a bang by following some simple safety tips.

Catherine Wheels, toffee apples, sparklers...just some of the reasons so many of us love Bonfire Night. But please enjoy Bonfire Night safely, by following some simple safety guidelines to make sure you, your family and your neighbours all have a great time.

Going to an organised display is always the safest way of celebrating if you can, as there are safe places to watch the displays, the fireworks are set off by trained people, the emergency services are close-by if needed and the displays are often more spectacular.

A number of organised displays are still happening in Nottingham and the surrounding areas. Information about these can be found on the Nottinghamshire Live or Visit Nottinghamshire websites.

If you are having your own display at home, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue has some important bonfire and firework safety tips on their website: Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service website

As well as these safety tips, make sure you never set off any fireworks in your home or from out of your windows. Not only is this extremely dangerous, it's also a severe breach of your tenancy agreement and something we would take the strongest possible action against.

Unfortunately we also see an increase in the number of deliberate fires and anti-social behaviour involving fireworks around this time.

Help us to reduce this by:

  • not leaving your wheelie bins out overnight. If you have a collection over the next few days, put them out in the morning and bring them back in once they've been emptied
  • making sure children are aware of fire and firework safety. Keep fireworks out of their reach
  • only using fireworks on private property (like back gardens) and never setting them off in the street or in a public place (unless part of a licenced organised event)
  • keeping your garden and/or street areas free of loose rubbish that could be a fire risk
  • letting your neighbours know if you are having a firework display, particularly those who are older, more vulnerable, have young children or pets that might be afraid of fireworks
  • only letting off fireworks between 7am to midnight on Bonfire Night (or 7am to 11pm if you're having a display on other days around 5 November)

Reporting a concern

We hope everybody who is celebrating Bonfire Night has a great and safe time. But if you're having any concerns regarding anti-social behaviour, please let us know. Details about how to do this are on our anti-social behaviour pages. 

And if it's a genuine emergency, where you or your home is at immediate risk, call 999. For non-emergencies, call 101.