Find out about fireworks and the law, who can buy them and when they can be used.
There are laws to control the use and possession of fireworks, and how they are stored and sold.
New legislation has been introduced to help to make fireworks safer to use and to tackle their deliberate misuse.
The new law affects how fireworks are imported, sold and used, and places restrictions on possession.
It means that fireworks will be safer, less noisy and can only be let off at certain times. It also means that those misusing them to either damage property or injure will be able to be dealt with by the relevant authorities.
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You cannot set off fireworks between 11pm and 7am except for on 5 November when you can set them off until midnight and New Year's Eve, Chinese New Year and Diwali when they can be set off until 1am
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It is an offence to throw or set off fireworks in a street or public place and it is also illegal for anyone under 18 to possess fireworks in public
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You must be over 18 to buy fireworks, except for caps, cracker snaps, novelty matches, party poppers, serpents and throwdowns where the legal age of purchase is 16
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It is an offence for people who are not firework professionals to buy and possess category 4 fireworks. These are only to be used at public displays by firework professionals
For guidance on the law for retailers and display organisers, contact East Sussex County Council Trading Standards.
Professionally organised displays are regulated by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), which has guidance for organisers on its website using the link from this page.
