FIREWORKS can bring fun and excitement to many, but they can cause misery and serious injury to others. DEAN KIRBY looks at the efforts being made to prevent the sale of dangerous fireworks and to keep people safe

YOUTHS attack firefighters with rockets, arsonists push a Roman candle through a family's letterbox and a schoolboy's hand is badly injured when a rocket explodes as he holds it.

These are just three stories that have appeared in the Bolton Evening News during the countdown to Bonfire Night.

And it is likely that there will be more reports of firework misuse over the next few days.

The number of injuries caused by firework-related incidents rose by 50 per cent last year -- the biggest increase for nearly a decade.

Some 249 people were hurt in the North-west alone.

The Government has now promised to introduce tough new measures designed to reduce the number of casualties.

But those measures will only work if people, especially teenagers, stop putting their own and other people's lives at risk.

The moves, brought in by Consumer Minister Melanie Johnson, will include a voluntary ban on the manufacture of air bombs.

These are the cheap and accessible "pocket money" rockets that cause up to half of all firework-related injuries. Other measures will include a crackdown on the illegal trade in fireworks and efforts to encourage local authorities to curb the noise from bangers.

This will be followed by a new campaign warning teenagers about the dangers of fireworks.

Posters will be put up in Greater Manchester and TV adverts will highlight some of the injuries teenagers have suffered.

Mrs Johnson said: "Teenagers thinking of messing around with fireworks this year should think again. They are likely to spend Bonfire Night in casualty departments -- or worse.

"They should always remember that fireworks are explosives and that they can cause serious damage.

"We all want to enjoy the firework season, but too often this time of year is blighted by problems of firework misuse, noise and nuisance.

"It's vital we crack down on these problems and that we educate people to make sure they know the consequences."

The move has been backed by Bolton firefighters and by the British Fireworks Association, an umbrella group for firework manufacturers.

The association's members, who distribute 95 per cent of fireworks in the UK, have agreed to stop selling air bombs and small "whistle bang" rockets. They say the ban will result in a reduction of 30 million loud bangs in the run-up to Bonfire Night.

John Wilson, the association's chairman, said: "Our air bomb and rocket ban is aimed at the hooligan minority who give fireworks a bad name. We trust this announcement will be good news to many who have complained during the past year."

However, the ban will not come into effect for another 12 months because it will take that long for manufacturers to change their production schedules.

Firefighters in Bolton support the ban but they say firework-related injuries will only decrease if teenagers learn to appreciate the dangers.

Leading firefighter Terry Orrell, from Bolton's Community Fire Safety Resource Centre, said: "Teenagers need to realise that they are playing a dangerous game.

"One moment of madness could ruin the rest of their lives."

Firefighters from the resource centre have already been visiting schools around Bolton to talk to pupils. They say they will keep spreading the message, even after Bonfire Night.

One person who has already learned to his own cost the dangers of fireworks is 16-year-old John Morrison, from Astley.

A week before last Bonfire Night he headed for a field with a group of friends and a selection of banned fireworks.

The firework John tried to light exploded, ripping his right hand to shreds.

His father, Mike, said: "John's hand was a complete mess. It was split right down to the bone and his remaining fingers were broken."

The blast had taken off the top joint on his thumb, the top two joints on his index finger and the top joint on his middle finger.

John had to undergo two eight-hour operations to rebuild his fingers and the muscles in the palm of his hand.

Fortunately, the surgery was successful and he has regained 70 per cent of the feeling in his hand. But he still cannot do some simple tasks, like doing up buttons.

Mr Morrison said: "It's been a very traumatic time for our family. My son was lucky that the firework didn't blow up in his face. In that respect, it could have been a lot worse."

Other teenagers will only stay safe if they start learning about the dangers and stop taking risks.