Firework disaster: Could it happen in the UK?

The destruction at Enschede: Safety campaigners are concerned it could happen in Britain

Safety campaigners have called for the UK Government to tighten up the laws on fireworks storage following the blast at Enschede in the Netherlands on Saturday.

At least 20 people were killed when an explosion ripped through the SE Fireworks factory, showering surrounding streets with debris. Another 560 people were injured and more than 200 are still reported to be missing.

The National Campaign for Firework Reform says the deregulation of fireworks in the last decade means individuals can store tons of explosives in private dwellings, and the laws need to be tightened up.

But firework manufacturers and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) say the regulations on the storage of fireworks are already very tight, and they are confident that under the current legislation, a similar disaster would not happen in the UK.

Martin Guest, the acting Managing Director of Black Cat Fireworks, which makes the Standard brand, told BBC News Online: "It could never happen here. What we had in Enschede was a warehouse licensed to hold 100 tons of fireworks, and the nearest house was 50 metres away.

"In the UK, the maximum we could hold in a building that close to homes would be 600kg."

'Law constantly reviewed'

Black Cat, based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, is one of the UK's biggest manufacturers of fireworks, and Mr Guest believes the industry's safety record speaks for itself: "The Explosives Act was ground-breaking when it was introduced in 1895.

"It has been constantly reviewed. I don't think there are too many instances to show that it's wrong."

The director of the National Campaign for Firework Reform, Noel Tobin disagrees: "We have been very lucky so far that we haven't had a similar disaster."

We have been very lucky so far that we haven't had a similar disaster.

Noel Tobin, Director of the National Campaign for Firework Reform.

His organisation has already prompted the Health and Safety Executive to review the regulations regarding fireworks, but he admits a shift in trends has made the regulators' jobs much harder: "In the past, fireworks were made in Britain and conformed to high safety standards, while the factories were usually in the countryside.

"Now, 95% of fireworks are imported, and can be stored anywhere."

He believes the problems stem from the abolition of import licences: "Consignments go to ground, some of them aren't even labelled as fireworks, so they're almost impossible to trace."

'New law needed'

As a result, he says fireworks are ending up in small warehouses in the middle of towns, or even in homes or outbuildings.

Mr Tobin now wants a new law to cover the licensing, training and handling of fireworks, along with limits on the amount of explosives being stored in any one location, and the timing of sales to the public.

RoSPA's Product Safety Assessor, David Jenkins, says the production and storage of fireworks is covered by the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and the Explosives Act 1875, and risk assessments are regularly carried out on sites where fireworks are being stored.

He said: "The Health and Safety at Work Act requires companies to ensure their premises are safe for their workers, but few people realise it also applies to the safety of the public living nearby."

It could not happen here.

Martin Guest, Black Cat Fireworks

He is confident the circumstances leading up to the explosions at Enschede were not being repeated in the UK: "There is no way the Act would permit that sort of activity to go on in the middle of a town".

He also believes the Explosives Act would prevent the storage of so much explosive material in one location.

But Mr Jenkins believes there is no room for complacency following the deaths in Enschede: "The Explosives Act is in the process of being reviewed, and I hope this will move that process forward. In the meantime, I believe the Home Office would want to reassure the public that all storage sites do conform to the regulations."