Warning issued to youngsters after fireworks thrown at Dundee pupils

Youngsters have been warned about the dangers of pyrotechnics after pupils were seen throwing fireworks at other children near a primary school.

Teenagers who had just alighted from a school bus on Whitfield Drive in Dundee were seen launching the explosives by a number of parents.

Police were notified because it is illegal to set off fireworks in a street or public place, or for anyone under 18 to buy them.

Parent Siobhan Monks was picking up her children from Longhaugh Primary School when the incident occurred.

She said: “A group of pupils were throwing fireworks into another group of pupils.

“The fireworks were large with big bangs and smoke. I was sitting in my car parked waiting on my little girls coming out of school so my initial thought was ‘what the hell?’

“Then I saw the smoke and kids laughing and running and flashes from the firework and then another one.

“I called the police as someone is going to be seriously hurt if this carries on.”

She added: “I really don’t think they understand the consequences of what can actually happen with fireworks.

“I’m sure some of the pupils must know who did it. It really is out of order.”

Allan Petrie, former councillor for the area, said he was shocked to hear of the behaviour.

He said: “What’s even more worrying is that these kids must have had the fireworks in school.

“Parents need to take a long look at them.

“There needs to be more warnings about this though – whether that’s the council or the government.

“They’re rockets, they’re explosives. They shouldn’t be in the hands of people without a licence.”

Mr Petrie added that while he was a councillor he had helped bring in a voluntary agreement among shops in the city to only sell pyrotechnics shortly before and after Bonfire Night.

“This has since been dropped. It needs to be brought back as a minimum,” he said.

“The real issue is at national level. We could quite easily amend the Civic Government Scotland Act and make it illegal to sell fireworks to anyone who does not have a licence to use them.

“The public need to get behind this change though.”

A police spokesperson said: “Police Scotland were notified by a member of the public about a firework throwing incident in Whitfield Drive, Dundee, about 3.10pm on Monday October 29.

“Unfortunately, we were notified some time after the incident and were unable to take any direct action, however the details provided were noted for information should any further incidents occur.”

The incident comes in the same week youths threw missiles, including eggs and fireworks, at a bus on nearby Lothian Crescent.