Licence to sell fireworks

By law, if you want to store and sell fireworks to the public, you need to either:

• register with the Council (to store up to 250 kilograms of fireworks), or
• obtain a licence from the Council (to store up to 2 tonnes of fireworks).

Selling fireworks all year round

Generally, you can only sell fireworks to the public during the following periods:

• 15 October to 10 November
• 26 December to 31 December
• on the first day of the Chinese New Year and the three days immediately preceding it, and
• on the day of Diwali and the three days immediately preceding it.

However, if you want to store and sell fireworks at any other time, you need to obtain an annual licence from the Council. This is in addition to normal registration.

Storage of fireworks

There are legal requirements for the storage of fireworks. Please see our Guide to storage and sale of fireworks.

In addition, we have produced a retailers' risk assessment checklist for keeping fireworks in shops.

Sale of fireworks

There are also legal requirements for the sale of fireworks. These include the following:

• Fireworks may not be sold to any person apparently under the age of 18 years
• Fireworks cannot be sold in the street or in any public place
• The name and address on any fireworks, when received from the manufacturer, must not be removed or altered
• Bengal matches are not fireworks and must not be kept with fireworks
• Amorces (paper caps), throwdowns and sparklers are fireworks and must be sold and stored as such.

Offences and penalties

If explosives are kept on non-registered premises, or too great a quantity of explosives is kept, or the method of storage is inappropriate, a Court may fine you £5,000 or more. The explosives may also be confiscated.

If you are found guilty of an offence connected with the safe storage of explosives, the Court may in some circumstances impose an unlimited fine or term of imprisonment.

A person found guilty of selling fireworks to a person apparently under the age of 18 years may on conviction be fined up to £5,000.