Legal warning to firework vendors

A WARNING has been issued to Halton residents to only buy fireworks from licensed retailers which are stored and marked correctly to avoid risk of injury or death.

Halton Borough Council has released a list of licensed retailers in Runcorn and Widnes.

The shops are visited by Trading Standards to ensure fireworks meet safety standards and are being stored safely.

A council spokesman said that fireworks must be stored securely and in a suitable location away from any risks of fire and explosion or any other hazardous items.

The spokesman said any fireworks should be marked with a CE mark or BS7114 and should contain clear instructions and warnings in English on how they should be used and what safety precautions to take.

As well as the safety require- ments it is also illegal to sell category F2 and F3 fireworks to under 18s.

Trading Standards officers in the borough are also asking residents to report any instances of fireworks being offered for sale in suspicious circumstances such as from home addresses or via social media.

Halton Borough Council’s executive board member for trading standards, Cllr Dave Cargill, said: “Although the option of buying cheaper fireworks from unregistered sellers looks tempting, fireworks bought from rogue traders – whether from the back of a van, from door-to-door sellers or from unregistered premises – can cost a lot more than money.”

Residents can report suspicious sales to Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0345 404 05 06.

Halton’s licensed fireworks retailers are: ● Aldi, Unit 6 Trident Retail Park, Halton Lea, WA7 2FQ ● Aldi, Lugsdale Road, Widnes, WA8 6UF ● Asda, West Lane, Halton Lea, WA7 2PY ● Asda, Widnes Road, Widnes, WA8 6AF ● Bargain Buys, Unit D, Trident Retail Park, Halton Lea, Runcorn, WA7 2FQ ● Lidl, Unit 1 Edwards Road, Runcorn, WA7 2XP ● Morrisons, Green Oaks Way, Widnes, WA8 6UA ● Paul Niblock, 140 Birchfield Road, Widnes, WA8 9ED ● Poundland, Unit 56 Halton Lea Shopping Centre, Town Square, WA7 2BY (sparklers only) ● Poundland, Unit 551, Widnes Shopping Park, Widnes, WA8 7TN (sparklers only) ● Rightway LTD, Unit 3, Linkway, WA7 5EJ ● Tesco Superstore, Ashley Retail Park, Lugsdale Road, Widnes, WA8 7YT ● The Range, Unit 87, Halton Lea Shopping Centre, Town Square, WA7 2EU ● Wilko, The Windmill Centre, Lugsdale Road, Widnes, WA8 7TN ● Wilko, Unit 14 Halton Lea Shopping Centre, Town Square, WA7 2GX