Crackdown sees fall in pop-up fireworks shops

The number of pop-up shops selling fireworks in West Yorkshire has dropped following the introduction of measures to tackle anti-social firework use, a report has found.

At its final meeting of the year, members of West Yorkshire Fire Authority were given an update on how the fire service had coped with the 2025 Bonfire Night season.

A report to the committee said people wanting to sell fireworks in temporary shops now had to apply by mid-September for a licence if they wanted to be up and running by Bonfire Night.

A report stated that the measure had led to a 79% reduction in businesses given licences to sell fireworks in 2025 compared to the previous year.

Chris Kemp, fire safety manager at West Yorkshire Fire Service, told the meeting they had received a "number of complaints about pop-up shops", adding they "wanted to look at how we could target those".

"As part of the fit and proper person check, there is a three-week check by the police," he said.

"A few years ago, we were still issuing licences the week before Bonfire Night. That encouraged short-term pop-up shops who get a load of fireworks in and sell them cheap for a few weeks before closing."

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, sellers would also now face enhanced police checks before being given a firework sale licence.

The report considered by members of the Fire Authority, which consists of West Yorkshire councillors, said this was backed up by tougher enforcement action.

During this year's firework season, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service wrote to six licence holders to advise them that the service was "minded to revoke their licence due to either improper storage or new information to suggest they are no longer considered a fit and proper person".

Meanwhile, raids on businesses led to 1,200 packs of fireworks with a retail value in excess of £50,000 being seized.

The report added that in 2024 the fire service received 25 new applications for firework licences, with 11 refused or not progressed and 14 licences issued.

This year, the new measures meant that just nine new applications had been received, with six refused or not progressed and only three licences issued.

The report also said that the number of attacks on firefighters in West Yorkshire around Bonfire Night had fallen to its lowest level in five years.

The document stated there were six incidents between 29 October and 12 November this year, compared to 16 in 2024, nine in 2022 and 2023 and 17 in 2021.

Shipley Labour MP Anna Dixon started a petition in October to make fireworks quieter after her constituents complained.

The MP's petition called for the decibel levels of legally permitted fireworks to be lower, and she planned to present the signatures to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood.

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