Scotland’s first firework control zones to come into force this year

Scotland’s first firework control zones (FCZs) will come into force in parts of Scotland’s two biggest cities next month.

Restrictions will be in place across areas in Glasgow and Edinburgh after councils were given the powers to limit the use of fireworks.

Glasgow City Council is also running a consultation on whether to impose a future city-wide ban.

The consultation runs until October 20 but any decision would not impact celebrations this year.

Glasgow previously received 13 applications for FCZs in the city, with four relating to locations in Pollokshields.

The southside area was the only location chosen and will be the first part of the city to implement an FCZ, which excludes sparklers.

The ban will be in place between November 1 and 10, and will extend to both public and private spaces, including gardens.

Pollokshields, with an estimated population of 12,000 people, was given the designation following approval by a review panel comprising councillors, police and fire service officials.

The area has seen the most serious kind of firework-related anti-social behaviour in recent years, including a riot on November 5, 2018.

Edinburgh will be the only other part of Scotland to introduce FCZs this year with restrictions in Niddrie, Balerno, Seafield and Calton Hill.

Councillors in the capital voted against introducing the measure – which will be enforced by Police Scotland – across the entire city.

Last year, police charged 26 people with 51 offences following riots in Edinburgh on Bonfire Night.

A total of 31 charges against 15 individuals were understood to relate specifically to disorder seen in the Niddrie area of the capital on November 5 when petrol bombs and fireworks were thrown at riot police.

Local authorities were given the option to ban the use of fireworks after MSPs passed the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles Act in 2022.

It is an offence to use fireworks within a FCZ with someone convicted being liable to a fine of up to £5,000, six months’ imprisonment or both.

The Scottish Government said the law was a “key milestone in the journey towards a cultural change in Scotland’s relationship with fireworks”.

The Scottish Conservatives criticised the law at the time, describing it as a “damp squib” and said most councils had shunned the new powers.