Be safe on bonfire night

New legislation is due by 2004

All this week, Breakfast is looking at anti social behaviour which can make the lives of thousands of people miserable.

Yesterday in our series Fear and Now, we looked at fireworks and how they can be misused.

Our feature provoked a strong response from you. We received around 1100 e-mails and text messages with many of you saying how fed up you are by fireworks.

Scores of you called for them to be banned.

This morning, we talked to one family, who texted us to tell us how devastated they were when their 13 year old son died in a firework accident.

Margaret Lamparter told us how her son and a group of friends got hold of some fireworks.

They lit one, but thought it was a dud because it didn't catch fire immediately. Unfortunately, the firework exploded, rupturing an artery in her son's neck.

"Every single day I think about what happened," she told us. "But it's worse at this time of year, because of the bangs."

Safety tips

Our top tips for firework safety come courtesy of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA)

If you're going to light fireworks at home, plan your display properly

Never give sparklers to children under five

Never hold a baby in your arms when you are holding a sparkler.

When the sparkler has finished, put it into a bucket of cold water straight away and leave it there.

Keep your pets indoors with the curtains closed.

Keep fireworks in a closed box and use them one at a time.

Take a torch with you so you can read the instructions on each firework.

Keep naked flames, including cigarettes, away from fireworks except when ready to set them off.

Light the firework at arm's length with a taper and stand well back.

Never return to a firework once it has been lit.

Don't put fireworks in pockets and never throw them.

Direct any rocket fireworks well away from spectators.

Never use paraffin or petrol on a bonfire.

Make sure that the fire is out and surroundings are made safe before leaving.

Should fireworks be banned? use this form to tell us what you think