Overview
- On New Year’s Eve, fireworks may be used from 7am until 1am; on a normal day they are banned between 11pm and 7am.
- Diwali and Chinese New Year share the 7am–1am allowance, while Bonfire Night has a midnight cut-off.
- Private purchases are permitted from December 26 to December 31, with additional statutory windows in mid‑October and the three days before Diwali and Chinese New Year.
- You must be 18 or over to buy fireworks, and it is illegal to set off or throw them in streets or other public places.
- Penalties include an unlimited fine and up to six months’ imprisonment for illegal sale or use, £90 on-the-spot fines, and up to £5,000 for burning household waste; officials also urge ending displays by 1am and never returning to a lit firework.