The horrific death of Josephine Smith, an 88-year-old woman, due to a lit firework thrown into her home by two teenagers has left her family devastated and campaigning for stricter regulations on the sale and use of fireworks. The youth, aged 15 and 18, had purchased fireworks from a shopkeeper who later pleaded guilty to selling the explosives to an underage buyer. The teenagers had started a fire that led to Mrs Smith’s demise after throwing fireworks into doorways and at passing cars. CCTV footage captured the teenagers asking the shopkeeper what a good firework to “let off at people” would be.
Alan Smith, the victim’s son, has vowed to fight for tighter rules governing the sale and use of fireworks. He is hoping for stricter checks on the identification of buyers who appear to be under the age of 25, and limiting the sale of smaller and cheaper fireworks. Mr Smith does not want to ruin the fun of fireworks but desires a change in the current rules to prevent similar incidents from occurring.
Currently, it is illegal in England to set off fireworks between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM, except on specific days such as Bonfire Night, New Year’s Eve, Diwali, and Chinese New Year. Anyone under the age of 18 is also prohibited from handling fireworks in public or buying them. London Fire Brigade has warned people to use fireworks responsibly and attend professional displays instead of setting off fireworks at home, following a spike in firework-related incidents across the capital in the past month.
The Department for Business and Trade has launched a new fireworks safety campaign to educate people on the safe use of fireworks and ensure that they are bought from licensed or registered sellers. The devastating death of Mrs Smith could have been prevented, and the government’s primary focus is to keep the public safe. Meanwhile, Mr Smith and his family mourn the loss of their mother and hope that changes will be made to prevent further tragedies
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