White van became an illegal store for fireworks

TRADING STANDARDS officers in Swansea have issued a warning after they found almost 8kg of fireworks stored in the back of a van parked near a city primary school.

Darren Houlihan had stored the fireworks in his white van outside a friend’s home and trading standards officers were alerted after a tip-off from Mid and West Wales Fire Service in October last year.

And when they raided the van parked at an associate’s address, less than 100 yards from Trallwyn Primary School in Trallwyn, officers found a can of petrol stored with the fireworks.

Houlihan, of Samlet Road, Swansea admitted not having a licence to store fireworks, in contravention of Regulation 7(1) of the Explosives Regulations 2014, when he appeared in front of city magistrates on June 30, 2015

He was fined £500 and ordered to pay £830 costs and a victim surcharge of £50.

Mark Thomas, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transportation, said: “The idea someone could store fireworks in a van also containing a can of petrol so close to a local school is astonishing.

“By working with partners like the fire service and South Wales Police, our trading standards are helping keep communities safe, protecting unsuspecting residents from foolhardy behaviour like this.”

Trading Standards officers stepped in after being tipped off about an advert for fireworks on a Facebook page called ‘Free or For Sale’. They attempted a test purchase of the fireworks via Facebook, but received no reply. They then tracked down the advertiser to an address in Glan-y-Wern Road and seized the fireworks when they found them in the back of a van.

Under caution Houlihan admitted they belonged to him and claimed to officers he’d bought the fireworks for £400 from someone on Swansea Enterprise Zone to do a display for his family on November 5. He said he didn’t know the maximum amount of fireworks an unlicensed person could store was 5kg.

Cllr Thomas said: “The storage of fireworks is tightly-controlled due to the safety risks to the public. The back of a van is clearly not a proper place to store such items which, judging by the Facebook advert, they’d been in for some time.

“If they’re not properly cared for by people trained and licensed to sell and store them safely, fireworks can be very dangerous and volatile.

“I’m pleased that on this occasion nobody came to any harm. But our trading standards team advise that anyone who’s thinking of purchasing fireworks makes sure they buy them from someone who has a licence to sell and store them.