Ban the Public Sale of Fireworks in the UK

Ban the public sale of fireworks in the UK

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In February 2026, Leighton Ashby and Oakley Hollands were jailed after beating a sheep to death and inserting legally purchased consumer fireworks into the animal's body. A judge called it sadistic. We call it preventable.
Every year, fireworks cause immeasurable suffering to animals, to wildlife, to veterans with PTSD, to people with sensory conditions. They start fires. They are used as weapons. And they are available to anyone who wants to buy them, no questions asked.

The case of Ashby and Hollands has shown in the starkest possible terms what unrestricted public access to fireworks makes possible. In the judge's own words, they chose to insert fireworks into the lamb "to cause further suffering and mutilation of this innocent creature." Those fireworks were bought legally. By members of the public. Just like anyone reading this could do today.

Other countries have already acted. Iceland, Denmark, and the Netherlands have all introduced restrictions or outright bans on public fireworks sales. Professional displays continue. The difference is that the devices are in the hands of trained operators, not the general public.

We are calling on the UK Government to:
Ban the public sale of fireworks to non-licensed individuals, restrict their use to licensed professional displays only, and introduce meaningful penalties for illegal possession or misuse.
The current system is not working. The suffering caused is real. And the fireworks being used to cause that suffering are freely available on the high street.
This has to end.

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Ban the public sale of fireworks in the UK

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