Key facts
- The charity wants the legal maximum for consumer fireworks cut to 90 decibels from 120.
- It says the government's proposed 100-decibel limit would leave the area affected by each firework far larger.
- The British Fireworks Association said the case for a 90-decibel limit had not been made.
- The RSPCA said fireworks and their debris can disturb birds and other wild animals.
The Centre for Animal Welfare (CWAW) has urged the UK government to cut the maximum noise level of fireworks sold to the public to 90 decibels from 120, saying the change would protect wild animals from acute stress. The charity said the lower limit would shrink the area over which each firework disturbs surrounding wildlife and help prevent harm such as mass temporary displacement and fatal collisions among birds.
The call follows a government consultation on proposals to lower the limit to 100 decibels, which the government said would roughly halve loudness. CWAW said that limit did not go far enough and that a 90-decibel cap would leave the area disturbed by each firework about a hundred times smaller than under the government's plan.
Richard Parr, CWAW's director, said a loud firework can be heard up to 10km away and that each 10-decibel cut reduces the affected area by 10 times. He said wild animals were likely to be as affected as pets, and that sudden bangs are particularly disturbing for prey animals.
Rebecca Machin, a wildlife expert at the RSPCA, said the charity shared CWAW's concerns, citing disrupted migration, elevated stress hormones and hazards from leftover debris. Research has found birds suffer particular harm during displays, including stress responses, mass temporary displacement and fatal collisions.
The consultation followed a January parliamentary debate on firework noise and availability, with two petitions gaining more than 180,000 signatures each. It also examined expanding the list of fireworks banned for general sale and reviewing rules on lower-risk products, including scrapping the age limit on Christmas crackers.
A spokesperson for the British Fireworks Association said the industry took concerns about wildlife seriously but did not believe the case had been made for a 90-decibel limit. The association said any change should rest on clear evidence and consider unintended consequences, including a shift to illegal fireworks, and favored better enforcement of existing laws and a national campaign on considerate use.