A County Durham town council has apologised after an estimated 3 - 4,000 people were left disappointed by a "poor" fireworks display.
The free event at Helford Road Playing Fields in Peterlee was part of a slew of activities on Bonfire Night, including a free children's disco, fun fair rides, an entertainer and face-painting. The main event of the fireworks display at 6.30pm was due to last for more than 15 minutes, though reports suggest that the display was over in less than seven minutes, prompting a number of complaints to the council.
One disgruntled Facebook user said: "Terrible effort, my 6 and 8 year old kept asking what happened to the fireworks? Why bother putting them on for that display last night that went on to cause nothing but carnage when people tried to drive home after?"
Read more: 'Bit of a shambles'- Spectators slam Saltwell Park fireworks calling Gateshead event 'dangerous'
Some users defended Peterlee Town Council as it was a free event, with one person even seeing the funny side and saying: "Not complaining, the dogs were over the moon!" But the council has since taken to Facebook to apologise for the display.
They posted on Facebook: "Peterlee Town Council apologises for the poor fireworks display at The Pavilion on Helford Road on Saturday 5th November 2022. The Council had placed a contract with Nemesis Pyrotechnics Ltd for a 18-20 minute fireworks display.
"Clearly the display that they provided was far too short and we're as annoyed and disappointed about it as the thousands of local residents who braved the wet and windy weather to watch the display. A good deal of time and effort goes in to planning a safe and fun fireworks display every year.
"An estimated 3,000-4,000 people came to this event and many enjoyed the free children's entertainment in The Pavilion and the food provided by catering students from East Durham College. We are gutted to have been let down so badly by the fireworks company who were trusted to run the key part of the event, and we are deeply sorry for the disappointment felt by so many."
Crewe-based Nemesis Pyrotechnics Ltd responded to the post when contacted by ChronicleLive, claiming that they were contracted for a 16 minute display However, the council denies this, saying that the contract stipulated 18 - 20 minutes.
Nemesis Pyrotechnics Ltd said: "We had problems with fuses and material that became water damaged, and failed, that resulted in a short display. The council has slated us, but fails to state we have fired the show for them successfully for a number of years, demanding low noise fireworks that are less impacting and more expensive because that is what residents want."
The company also alleged that they council is paying less than it was five years ago, despite Peterlee Town Council inviting companies to bid on the event. The statement from Nemesis Pyrotechnics finished: "We explained to the Council what had happened and they have refused any discussions or compromise, leaving us no option but to proceed to litigation."
Peterlee Town Council further responded saying: "Peterlee Town Council is disappointed with the response from Nemesis Pyrotechnics on their poor performance at the Peterlee Fireworks Display event last weekend.
"As they are now threatening legal action against the council it would not be appropriate to respond to their statement in detail, however we can confirm that Nemesis were one of a number of fireworks companies who were invited to quote for the display and that the council did not set a budget limit for the event. As such it was up to each supplier to specify and price the 18-20 minute display that we required as they saw fit."
What did you think of the fireworks display in Peterlee? Let us know!
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