Derbyshire firefighters urge people not to light bonfires on Bonfire Night this year

People have been encouraged by firefighters not to have bonfires on their own private property this year to mark Guy Fawkes Night on November 5 – which marks the anniversary of a failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament.

With annual fireworks and bonfire events being cancelled across the county due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service have urged the public to abide by the new lockdown restrictions.

Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire is to move up into tier two of the Government's new traffic-light lockdown measures from Saturday – which prevents people from mixing with other households indoors and no more than six people outdoors, while maintaining social distancing.

Fire Prevention Group Manager Kevin Page said: “With safety in mind, we know that Bonfire Night is time when people gather to mark the Gunpowder Plot with fireworks and a bonfire, but this year with organised events being cancelled we are concerned that more people will turn to their own gardens to host a bonfire party.

“A garden bonfire can easily get out of hand with fire spreading quickly from hedges, overhanging trees and garages to the house.

"Not only do these fires pose a serious risk to you, your family, your property and the public, but out of control bonfires take our crews away from other potentially life-threatening incidents.

“By calling on people not to have a bonfire we are not aiming to spoil people’s fun, we are simply aware of what can and does go wrong and this year there is the potential for more garden fires than ever – so we are trying to keep everyone safe.”

Chief Inspector Emlyn Richards, who is leading Derbyshire Constabulary’s response to COVID-19, said: “We’d like to remind the public that current legislation to prevent the spread of coronavirus states that there are limits on the numbers allowed for social gatherings.

"This varies depending on the local COVID alert level for your area, so please visit the Government website to ensure you are aware of the current restrictions in place locally.”

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