999 crews pray for Merseyside Bonfire Night free of trouble

Nov 5 2007 by Staff Reporter, Liverpool Daily Post

THE night skies were lit up with colour as Bonfire Night events were held over the weekend.

There were many firework displays around the region, including at Southport’s Victoria Park and Gulliver’s World Theme Park, in Warrington.

Emergency crews preparing for Bonfire Night said the build-up so far had been “busy but routine”.

The largest event in Merseyside is due to take place tonight in Liverpool, with three musical shows in Sefton Park, Newsham Park and Walton Park.

The shows, organised by the Liverpool Culture Company and entitled Sparkling Symphonies, will be displays set to a selection of dramatic classical music.

Organised firework displays in Wirral take place at Birkenhead Park; Central Park, Wallasey; Upton Park, Moreton; Lingham Park, Moreton; Mayer Park, Bebington; Mersey Park, Tranmere; and Woodchurch Community Centre. All start at 6.30pm.

A full bonfire and firework display will take place at Leasowe Adventure Playground, off Oxley Avenue.

Spark in the Park at Sherdley Park will be St Helens council’s annual display, with the action starting at 6.15pm with a performance from MTV stars Totally Boyband, and the firework display itself starting at 8pm. A £3 parking charge applies.

So far, fire and ambulance service call-outs have been “low-key”. Crews said they hoped that today’s celebrations would be as uneventful.

A spokesman for the North West Ambulance Service said last night: “Although lots of fireworks are being set off for days beforehand, we haven’t seen a great deal of emergencies as a result. We hope this trend will continue tomorrow.”

A spokesman for Merseyside Fire and Rescue said: “In the last 24 hours, the service has attended 108 small fires, the majority of which were classed as bonfires.

“These were swiftly dealt with and have not posed any problems as yet. We are receiving a steady stream of calls, however, and it has been busy but routine.”

Liverpool City Council is urging residents to make sure their wheeled bins are safely stored away, as they are more likely to be burnt out or stolen in the run-up to November 5.

Council officers have been working with Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service to reduce the number of bin fires in the city.

The city council’s executive member for the environment, Cllr Berni Turner, said: “There is a small minority of mindless vandals who wouldn’t think twice about destroying another person’s property, so we are asking residents to avoid losing their bin by securely storing it before and after a collection has taken place.

“We have worked closely with the fire service to do as much as we can to avoid these unnecessary acts of vandalism, but we’re sure that with the co-operation of residents, we can dramatically reduce the numbers of burnt out bins.”

In addition to the risk of arson and theft, bins left out cause unnecessary obstruction on pavements, and non-recyclable items put in “green” bins by passers-by could contaminate their contents.

Liverpool City Council’s environmental manager, Andy McCartan, said: “We always experience an increase in the number of bins reported stolen and damaged at this time of year.

“Bins have in the past been stolen and used as carts to collect bonfire material, set on fire and in some areas have had fireworks set off inside.”

Anybody concerned about bins that appear to have been abandoned, vandalised or stolen can report them to Liverpool Direct on (0151) 233 3001.

alanweston