Setting off fireworks at the wrong time in Scotland could lead to hefty fines and even time in prison.
Rules added to the The Fireworks (Scotland) Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations last year outline the specific hours in which you can use fireworks. It is illegal to set off fireworks outside of permitted hours - although these will be extended on November 5.
Setting off any fireworks or pyrotechnics outside of permitted hours breach these laws and could leave you with a £90 on-the-spot fine. However the maximum fine could be as high as £5,000, and you may also face six months jail time.
What time can I set off fireworks?
Scots can set fireworks off between 6pm and 11pm, with extensions being made on certain days of the year. Bonfire Night is one of those days, in which you will be able to set fireworks off until midnight.
Other days where extensions are granted include New Year’s Eve, the night of Chinese New Year and the night of Diwali, when they can be used from 6pm until 1am
Certain groups are exempt from the regulations and may use fireworks out with the permitted hours, between 7am and 6pm. The exempt groups are:
- community groups, including charitable, religious, recreational and political organisations, who can continue to organise public displays between 7am and 6pm
- professional organisers or operators of firework displays and their employees, who can continue to organise public displays in the course of their business or at a national public celebration or a national commemorative event between 7am and 6pm without the need for permission from the relevant local authority
- businesses involved in the supply of fireworks and who use fireworks in connection with that business can continue to do so between 7am and 6pm
It comes after new firework laws were introduced earlier this year which saw those who bought fireworks for under-18s charged as criminals. As well as this any attacks on emergency workers using fireworks will become aggravating factors that can be taken into account when courts sentence offenders.
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