RESIDENTS in the Thornton and Allerton area of Bradford have spoken out over the irresponsible use of fireworks, including an incident which traumatised a severely-autistic seven-year-old girl.

As the summer wedding season comes into force, after two years of restrictions, the parties have been frequent in this area of Bradford, with residents complaining about the use of fireworks throughout the day and early hours of the morning.

One man told the T&A: “My niece suffers from severe autism and has learning difficulties.

“The other day, there were fireworks going off in the afternoon and we couldn’t find her.

“Her mum looked everywhere, and we finally found her under the table, with her hands over her ears, crying her eyes out.

“People need to be more considerate of people with disabilities and the impact fireworks and loud noises have on them.

“We’ve actually gone out and spoken to the people who are letting off fireworks, trying to get them to stop but it doesn’t work.

“We’ve reported incidents to the police and council, but nothing has been done.

“It’s really impacting us.”

The resident highlighted just how frequently fireworks were going off in the area.

“Last week, fireworks went off consistently for three days at all points of the day.”

The use of fireworks is not solely limited to bonfire night, with many choosing to use them for all types of celebrations.

“All I can say is people are inconsiderate and fireworks are inconvenient.”

MP for Bradford West, Naz Shah, said: “I have raised this issue previously and I remain firm in my stance.

"For many people, particularly those who live in households with vulnerable adults and pets, fireworks are an everyday struggle, and it is unacceptable that this is the case in Thornton and Allerton, within my constituency."

"I continue to believe we need better legislation in place which regulates the use of fireworks and regulates their supply and distribution, so they are not used at unacceptable hours and to the detriment of many in our society.”

A Bradford Council spokesperson, said, “It is clearly unacceptable that nuisance fireworks disturb people’s lives and wellbeing and the Council is doing everything within its power to tackle the issue. However, we have very limited powers and have to work within the laws set by government.

We will continue to push government to restrict fireworks and work with our partners in the police, fire service and trading standards to address the problem.”