Harrow Council patrols fireworks hot spots 7pm to 10pm, 26 Oct to 10 Nov, with CCTV, park signs and retailer checks. Last year 153 visits stopped 30 incidents.
Harrow Council’s Public Protection team will patrol fireworks hot spots every evening from 7pm to 10pm between Monday 26 October and Tuesday 10 November. The two-week operation covers Bonfire Night on Thursday 5 November, the Harrow Fireworks display at Byron Park on Saturday 7 November and Diwali on Sunday 8 November.
The council announced the operation on 9 October. It says the aim is to “stop fireworks being set off dangerously in streets and public spaces”.
What the operation involves
The council’s announcement lists what residents will see from 26 October:
- evening patrols of repeat hot spots, 7pm to 10pm
- warning signs in parks
- CCTV pointed at known hot spots
- Trading Standards visits to fireworks retailers, checking underage sales and safe storage
- advice to traders and buyers on safe and lawful use
- work with community and charity groups
A dedicated webpage follows next week. The council says residents will be able to pin current or previous problem locations on a map, check where officers will be working, and report concerns when the hotline is closed. The phone line goes live when the operation starts on 26 October.
The council has not yet published the hotline number or the webpage address. Its announcement says it will update the same page with both.
What last year’s operation did
The council gives three figures for the 2025 operation:
- 153 visits
- 30 dangerous fireworks incidents stopped
- 62 Community Protection Warnings issued
It adds that the visits “resulted in several fines”, without giving a number.
A Community Protection Warning is the written warning a council or the police can issue before a Community Protection Notice. The notice itself is a legal order under section 43 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, and breaching one is a criminal offence.
What the law already says
The council’s patrols sit on top of national rules. The government’s fireworks law page sets out:
- fireworks may not be set off between 11pm and 7am
- the cut-off moves to midnight on Bonfire Night
- the cut-off moves to 1am on Diwali, New Year’s Eve and Chinese New Year
- you cannot buy adult fireworks if you are under 18
- registered sellers can only sell fireworks for private use from 15 October to 10 November, from 26 to 31 December, and for three days before Diwali and Chinese New Year; outside those dates only licensed shops may sell them
- illegal sale or use carries an unlimited fine and up to six months in prison, or an on-the-spot fine of £90
In Harrow this year the 11pm limit stretches to midnight on Thursday 5 November and to 1am on the night of Sunday 8 November, which is Diwali. The Saturday 7 November display at Byron Park is a licensed public event and runs to 11pm, according to our Harrow Fireworks page.
What it means for you
- If fireworks are being set off in your street or park, the council wants the location, dates, times and whether it has happened before. The map and hotline open from 26 October; until then the council’s announcement is the only published route, and it names no number.
- If you plan to use fireworks at home, the council says plainly that it “cannot act on noise from fireworks used safely and lawfully in private gardens”. Stay inside the 11pm, midnight and 1am limits above and you are within the rules.
- If you sell fireworks, expect a Trading Standards visit between 26 October and 10 November. The checks are underage sales and storage.
- If you are going to a display, the Byron Park event on 7 November has no parking, and the Diwali festival at Bhaktivedanta Manor on 8 November needs a free ticket. The council has not published any road closures for either in this announcement.
Harrow Today will add the hotline number and the reporting map once the council publishes them.
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