Fireworks and Explosives

There are two pieces of legislation that are relevant to fireworks and explosives. The first is the Manufacture and Storage of Explosive Regulations 2005, which requires the premises to apply for registration or a licence for the manufacture or storage of explosives. The second is the Fireworks Act 2003, which requires a licence for selling fireworks during certain periods of the year.

Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations 2005

Explosives, which include fireworks, must be stored safely to prevent fire or explosion and to protect persons from the effect of fire or explosion.

Anyone wishing to store up to 250kg of explosive may need to register with the Safety and Licensing Team. The current registration fee for 2008/09 is £100 or £50 in the case of a renewal. Copies of application forms for download are available on the right hand side of the page.

Anyone wishing to store up to 2000kg of explosives will need to obtain a licence from the Health & Safety Executive.

Fireworks Act 2003

Fireworks may be sold only during permitted periods throughout the year unless a licence is obtained. These dates are as follows:

• October 15 to November 15
• 26 December to 31 December
• The three days prior to Diwali and Chinese New Year

Anyone who wishes to sell fireworks outside of these permitted periods will need to obtain a separate licence under the Fireworks Act 2003. The current fee for this “all year” licence is £571. A copy of the application form is available for download.

Enforcement

Failure to store fireworks correctly, or the sale of fireworks to persons under the age of 18, may result in the revocation of your licence.

For further information please contact the Safety and Licensing Team.

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Related Documents

To view any published Related Documents for this service you will require the appropriate software. To download this software please see our documents help page. All links to documents will open in a new window. To request documents and files in an alternative format please contact us using the contact information provided on this page.