DURING First Minister’s Questions in the Senedd Mid and West MS Helen Mary Jones raised the issue of fireworks being set off uncontrollably in Llanelli, Pontyberem and Kidwelly.
Plaid Cymru MS Helen Mary Jones said:
“I’ve had unprecedented calls this last week from places like Llanelli, Pontyberem, Kidwelly, where the unregulated use of fireworks may have been greater than would normally have been the case, because, of course, there were no formal displays.
“We’re told that the Welsh Government has lack of powers to control the use of fireworks
and obviously that’s not something that can be changed quickly.
“I asked the First Minister to look again at enforcement and the cooperation with local authorities and the police in the run up to the new year, which is another time when we get a lot of fireworks being used.
“I would like make sure there is sufficient capacity and for the Welsh Government to review whether some additional resources might be needed, either by the police service or by local authorities, to enable them to effectively police these kinds of incidents.
“This can be very distressing for individuals, such as some young children, the elderly and former military personnel, as well as for pets and livestock. There is also an impact on air quality.”
The First Minister promised to look to work with police forces and local authorities, to learn lessons from Bonfire Night.
The Welsh Government does not have any specific powers to control the use of fireworks. The sale and use of fireworks in Wales is governed by regulations that rests with UK Ministers.
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