Leeds city council have been left with no choice but to cancel a number of events this bonfire night.
Despite their attempts to limit the anti-social behaviour surrounding the holiday, fire crews and police were attacked last night by around 100 youths in bonfire night disturbances.
Cllr Barry Anderson says that, “parents think their little boy and little girl aren’t going to cause trouble but yes they are causing trouble.” To combat this from happening again, the council have contacted past offenders to warn them of the new regulations they have set up. “There should be an increase in police patrols.”
Bonfire night is often the fire departments busiest night, and it has been no exception this year. With messages of appeal going out to encourage people to enjoy ‘responsibly’. David Lucas is Station Manager at Greater Manchesters Fire and Rescue Service. “It’s a challenging time because of the sheer volume of calls we experience.”
Garforth and District Lions Club has hosted a firework display for the past 35 years. This year however, they were unable to do so due to anti-social behaviour concerns following a number of issues they faced last year.
With an average of 3,000 people visiting the event annually, this is a huge loss and residents of Garforth are devastated.
Dave Hill, the Activities Chairman, said that cancelling the night was necessary because “we’d never forgive ourselves if something happened during our event.” Although they hoped that bringing in extra security could help, they explained that “we’re all volunteers, we don’t have private security. We can’t afford it.”
Bonfire night has been celebrated for the past 400 years and it is clear that more needs to be done to tackle the safety issues regarding the annual holiday. The public hope to see a change next year with the reopening of their favourite bonfire events in Leeds.
