The chief executive of Bradford Council is calling for an urgent change in the law to stop problems caused by fireworks.

Ian Stewart has written to Home Secretary David Blunkett asking for the extension of a scheme where over 18s face fines of £40 for throwing fireworks in the street.

Mr Stewart said the hard-hitting measure is being piloted in four other areas nationally but needs to be implemented in the Bradford district where he says there is an acute problem.

He has also written to MPs in the Bradford district asking them to make representations in the House of Commons to drive the issues forward.

"Injuries caused by fireworks have been a problem in the district for some time and we have been working with a variety of organisations to try to tackle the issue," he said. "On a local level we have already introduced an Action Plan to look at the issue and set up a Firework Task Group to improve the liaison between the Council, Trading Standards, Police and the Fire Service."

Bradford was named as one of the country's worst firework accident hotspots in a Govern-ment campaign last year.

And West Yorkshire Fire Brig-ade is now working with Trad-ing Standards to stamp out the illegal sale of fireworks to youngsters.

Councillor Michael Walls (Cons, Queensbury), who is part of the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee's firework sub group, said various suggestions were being put forward in a bid to tackle the problem.

"I think the effectiveness of that penalty fine could be limited, because you have to catch them first," he said. "But everything helps. What we want to do is educate people about the dangers.

"We are looking at a hard hitting poster campaign - as hard hitting as the advertising standards authority will allow."

Elizabeth Hellmich, from Heaton, who is advising Bradford Council's planned awareness campaign, said: "Fireworks have such a large fire-power now that someone is going to be killed. Bradford has been very lucky that it has not happened here yet.

"We don't think parents are sufficiently aware because they are still giving fireworks to their children to set off. Shopkeepers have told me that they have sold them to parents only to see their children walking past the shop later with the fireworks in a plastic bag."

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