Communities living in fear of fireworks hell repeat as Bonfire Night approaches

TERRIFIED residents fear fireworks hooligans will once again turn Scotland’s biggest cities into “war zones” despite a police crackdown.

Concerned families told how they fear a repeat of the shameful Bonfire Night scenes, even as Specialized officers prepare to confront the rioters. and council bosses ban fireworks at hotspots.

4

4

4

4

Riot police intervened confront missile-wielding thugs last year, including in Niddrie, Edinburgh.

And local shop boss Bhubinder Singh, 46, worries the chaos will return despite a Fireworks Control Zone banning fireworks from November 1-10.

Singh, who intends to close his Day-Today store early to avoid problems, predicted: “I think maybe it will be worse.

“They shot at the police cars.

“The police were everywhere: they stopped people from leaving.

“This year we will close around four or five.”

Nearby residents recalled sheltering inside as rioters launched makeshift missiles at police.

One woman, who asked not to be identified for fear of reprisals, said: “It wasn’t just teenagers. There were adults with small children.

“This person showed up with what looked like a drainpipe and was shooting at the police.

“They were exploding on the shields. “It lasted for hours.”

He feared that the new control zone would be unenforceable and asked: “How are they going to stop them from setting off fireworks?”

And there were calls for tough jail terms like those handed down to far-right rioters following the knife attacks in Southport in July.

A neighbor said: “In the south, protesters were arrested on Monday and jailed on Tuesday. “We’ll see.”

Another householder warned: “It was terrifying, especially for the elderly. “It’s never been this bad.”

We told how 60 thugs burned wheelie bins, vandalized a house and threw stones at terrified passers-by in Kirkton, Dundee – in a repeat of the ugly scenes of 2022.

One horrified witness recalled: “Last year, a rocket landed in the bottom basket of a mother’s stroller and exploded.

“There were fireworks bouncing off the windows. The police were standing there.

“They said it won’t happen again. “I can’t see it.”

Locals prepare for more chaos.

One worried mother admitted: “I don’t trust taking my children out for a walk.

“The last few years have been crazy with fireworks.”

Retired property maintenance worker William Dunn, 69, recalled the street fires last year. And he added: “What’s happening is stupid.”

Elsewhere residents fear a repeat of the chaos of 2018 when up to 40 youths in balaclavas launched “industrial-sized” fireworks at apartments in Pollokshields, Glasgow.

Businessman Sajid Hussain, 64, told how a rocket launched by thugs exploded in his takeaway.

Hussain, of Halal Kebab House, warned: “It was just luck that no one was hurt.

“Young people set off fireworks in the street.

“They put them under the cars and shoot them up to the closures. For them it is a game.

“They light them up and then run into the darkness. The police can’t seem to do much about it.”

Fellow resident Mohammad Yasin, 69, admitted he feared the Bonfire Night thugs.

He warned: “I have even seen them launching fireworks from moving cars. If you challenge them, you will receive a large amount of sass.

“Closed doors are kicked down and fireworks are launched inside.

“It is a miracle that no one has lost an arm or suffered serious burns.

“The police have increased their presence in recent years, but they don’t seem to have done much.”

Nanny Karen Boyle, 68, added: “I can’t even walk down the street.

“Not only children participate, but also adult men.

“Many are outsiders who come here because they think they can get away with it.

“It’s like a war zone.”

A proposed ban on fireworks in the area has been scrapped due to a council error. Ammar Hussain, 32, an employee of Naflees Bakers and Sweets, lamented the problem at the checkpoint.

He said: “It is very frustrating that the ban has not happened. “There have been so many problems.”

Last night, Scottish Conservatives’ community safety spokeswoman Sharon Dowey called for more support for “understandably anxious” communities across the country.

She insisted: “The responsibility lies with SNP to ensure our emergency services are adequately protected.”

Deputy Chief Constable Tim Mairs, who is leading Police Scotland’s Operation Moonbeam fireworks mayhem response, criticized last year’s “horrific” scenes.

He said: “A significant investigation was carried out in the weeks and months that followed and numerous people were charged.”

Last night a Scottish Government spokesperson said:

“The Scottish Government welcomes the significant amount of multi-agency partnership work undertaken by our emergency services, local authorities and wider community safety partners in preparation for the Bonfire Night period.

“We have introduced a number of measures to improve the safety of fireworks, including banning the provision of fireworks to under-18s and making attacks on emergency workers using fireworks an aggravating factor that courts can consider. taken into account when sentencing offenders.

“We have also given local authorities powers to designate fireworks control zones within their boundaries and these will be used for the first time this year in areas of Edinburgh during the Bonfire Night period.”