Petition snip

24 October 2025

Redwings' reaction to the Government's response to our fireworks petition

With more than 45,000 people having signed our petition in just seven weeks, we know that there is enormous public support for Redwings’ call to simply reduce the maximum noise level of fireworks from 120 decibels to 90 decibels.

All petitions that achieve 10,000 responses receive a government response and we have now received that response. Everyone who has already signed the petition should have been sent an email notification with the government’s statement. You can also read the statement here. 

Redwings is disappointed but unsurprised to read that at this stage the government is continuing to focus on the need to promote responsible use of fireworks within current regulations. Unfortunately, we believe that this approach is ineffective and places an impractical burden on firework users themselves to fully understand the multiple negative impacts a single display may have and make fully informed decisions as a result.

Loud fireworks can cause significant distress to horses, dogs, cats, other pets, livestock, military veterans, people living with PTSD, sensory issues such as autism or neuromuscular conditions such as cerebral palsy. Without knowledge of every person and animal in the vicinity of a planned display and how fireworks may affect them, we do not think it is possible for organisers to prevent possible harm.

While we welcome the government’s efforts to raise awareness of the potential impact of fireworks, we don’t feel the messages are strong or clear enough to adequately convey the level of risk even legal use of fireworks involves and how important it is that those considering using fireworks take steps to mitigate those risks. We are also unsure that these messages will reach enough people to make a difference.

We feel strongly that by only making low-noise fireworks available to the public, far greater protection from distress to animals, people and wildlife is achieved, while allowing those who wish to use fireworks to celebrate to do so.
 

Horses and fireworks

We welcome the government’s commitment to engaging with charities like Redwings and other organisations who are calling for better regulation of fireworks. We have already shared evidence of the impact fireworks can have on horses and their owners through our Fireworks and Horses survey report and attended a meeting with the Department of Business and Trade earlier this year. We have also shown that the Animal Welfare Act does not offer adequate protection against incidences of inadvertent suffering to animals caused by fireworks in our ground-breaking report published in 2024.

As the evidence and support for regulatory change continue to increase, it is becoming notably harder for the government to avoid meaningful action on this issue. On reaching 100,000 petition signatures we are confident of triggering a parliamentary debate which will provide an opportunity to engage in more detail on the many reasons why there is no longer a place for excessively loud fireworks in our inclusive and animal-loving society.

If you haven’t already signed the petition, please add your name today and share as widely as you can to help us achieve our 100,000 signature target. Thank you.
 

To find out more about our work on fireworks - including advice on preparing for fireworks season, a downloadable letter template for neighbours, and how to report an incident - please click here. 
 

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Redwings Press Office

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