Key facts
- The government is considering a 50% cut to the noise limit for fireworks bought in shops for private use, the BBC reported.
- Business Minister Kate Dearden said her department was weighing reforms focused on noise and antisocial behaviour.
- The British Fireworks Association said a 110-decibel limit would affect up to 60% of consumer firework sales.
- The association said a 90-decibel limit would affect about 95% of consumer sales, which it called effectively a ban.
- The government has said an outright ban on public firework sales would not be proportionate.
The UK government is considering cutting the noise limit for fireworks sold in shops for private use by 50%, the BBC reported on November 5, 2026, after pressure from campaigners concerned about nervous animals and people with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Professionally organised displays would keep no maximum noise limit provided the level is not harmful to human health, the report said. The government has said an outright ban on public firework sales would not be proportionate.
Business Minister Kate Dearden said her department was considering "reforms to fireworks legislation, focused on their key harms associated with their misuse - their noise, and contribution to antisocial behaviour – whilst still allowing individuals to enjoy fireworks safely and responsibly for the important community and cultural celebrations they play a part of."
Andy Hubble, of the British Fireworks Association, told BBC Breakfast that displays had already been getting quieter and warned a lower limit could create a black market in noisier fireworks. He said a BFA assessment showed a 50% cut to 110 decibels would affect up to 60% of sales to the public, and a cut to 90 decibels about 95%, which he called "effectively a ban on consumer fireworks, not a modest reduction in noise."
Alan Friggieri of the charity Combat Stress, which supports veterans with PTSD, told the Commons Business Committee that helpline calls rise at this time of year because loud bangs can trigger symptoms, but said the charity was not calling for a ban. Dog owner Katherine Alderson told BBC Breakfast she had barricaded her bedroom window with insulation to keep out the noise.
It is already illegal to sell fireworks to under-18s or set them off after 23:00, with exemptions for Bonfire Night, Diwali, New Year's Eve and Chinese New Year.