HC Deb 18 March 1991 vol 188 cc20-1W
Mr. Gregory

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish the figures of injuries caused by fireworks in 1990.

Mr. Leigh

According to reports from hospitals in England, Wales and Scotland, 805 people required treatment for injuries caused by fireworks during the three weeks leading up to 5 November 1990 and the few days after, an increase of less than 1 per cent. However, serious injuries fell by 7 per cent. There was an increase in injuries to young adults, but a fall of 12 per cent. in injuries to 13 to 15-year-olds, the group most at risk. There was an increase of 16 per cent. in injuries from bangers and of 10 per cent. for rockets, and sadly, of 12 per cent. from sparklers. Injuries from other fireworks went down. Injuries from incidents in the street were up 7 per cent., but injuries from family firework parties were down 4 per cent. and from small public displays down 17 per cent. There were 110 million fireworks let off in 1989 and we estimate that there were 12 to 15 per cent. more let off in 1990. The detailed breakdown for 1990 and the preceding four years is as follows:

Firework injuries in Great Britain
(4-week period in October-November)
Year 1990 1989 1988 1987 1986
TOTAL 805 800 877 960 846
Place of accident
1. Family or private party 269 280 300 260 286
2. Semi-public display (e.g. scouts, cricket club) 59 71 69 88 72
3. Large public display 135 135 123 155 119
4. Casual incident in street, etc. 264 247 298 364 299
5. Other place 64 46 65 73 52
6. Indoors 14 21 22 20 18
Type of firework
1. Banger 158 136 162 163 161
2. Rocket 144 131 164 174 159
3. Roman candle, coloured fire, etc. 66 89 83 96 88
4. Home-made or extracted powder 7 18 17 24 14
5. Other proprietary fireworks 73 125 86 109 118
6. Sparklers 93 83 102 95 80
7. Unspecified type 264 218 263 299 226
Severity of injury
1. Fatal injury — — — — —
2. Detained more than one night 38 46 69 60 48
3. Sufficient to cause absence from work or equivalent 138 142 167 158 160
4. Minor injury 590 551 587 661 582
5. Unspecified injury 39 61 54 81 56
Eye injuries (included in 2–5) 269 275 269 312 291
Age group of injured persons
1. Over 20 269 251 280 252 235
2. 16–20 142 135 151 168 145
3. 13–15 134 152 166 220 207
4. Under 13 260 262 280 320 259