The Sale of Fireworks

There are restrictions on the types of fireworks that can be sold and to whom they can be sold to. Details are set out below. 

Failure to comply with these requirements may render a supplier of fireworks liable to prosecution.

Age of Purchase

It is illegal to sell fireworks, including sparklers, to anybody under the age of 18. Caps, cracker snaps, novelty matches, party poppers, serpents and throwdowns must not be sold to anybody under the age of 16.

Display of Notice

There must be displayed, in a prominent position, a notice, measuring no less than 420mm by 297mm (A3 standard paper size) and whose letters are no less than 16mm high, stating that-

‘It is illegal to sell adult fireworks or sparklers to anyone under the age of eighteen’; and ‘It is illegal for anyone under the age of eighteen to possess adult fireworks in a public place’.

Information to be provided to Trading Standards if:  In a single transaction, you sell a quantity of fireworks such that the total net explosive content (the net mass) of the fireworks exceeds 50kg, you must keep a record of the following information for production to Trading Standards if requested:

• the name and address of the person to whom you sold the fireworks;
• the date on which you sold them;
• the name and address of the person from whom you bought the fireworks;
• the date on which you bought them; and
• the total amount of explosive contained in the fireworks that you sold.

You must keep this information for at least 3 years.

In addition, if you sell more than 50kg net mass of fireworks to any person, the purchaser must show you a valid storage registration or licence certificate issued under the Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations to prove that they can legally store the fireworks.

The following fireworks must not be sold to the general public:

• Bangers;
• Air Bombs;
• Mini-rockets;
• Fireworks with erratic flight (e.g. ground spinners, jumping crackers, squibs);
• Aerial shells, aerial maroons, shells-in-mortar and maroons-in-mortar;
• Fireworks intended for professional use, marked ‘This device must not be sold to, or used by, a member of the general public’; and
• Category 3 fireworks (those marked ‘Display Fireworks’) that produce a sound exceeding 120 decibels.

Other measures

• All fireworks sold to the general public must be marked as complying with British Standard BS 7114 (this sets out safety specifications and test procedures for fireworks); and
• Retail boxes of fireworks must not be broken down for sale.

Supplier’s Licence

If you wish to sell adult fireworks (that is any firework except for a cap, cracker snap, novelty match, party popper, serpent, sparkler or throwdown) at any time of the year, other than:

• On the first day of the Chinese New Year and the 3 days immediately preceding it;
• On the day of Diwali and the 3 days immediately preceding it;
• During the period beginning on the 15th October and ending on the 10th November; or
• During the period beginning on the 26th December and ending on the 31st December

you will need to have a supplier’s licence to do so. This licence is in addition to the registration or licence required for the storage of fireworks. The cost of the supplier’s licence is set at £500. Please contact us for an application form.