Thousands flock to firework displays as callouts to fire and police fall

Nov 12 2009 Maghull and Aintree Star

BONFIRE night went with a bang – despite rain sweeping Merseyside.

Thousands flocked to displays across the region while both police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue reported a drop in the volume of call-outs.

A spokesman for the fire service said: “Therole of our Arson Reduction Teams and our partners in Local authorities removed a great deal of potential bonfire material off the streets.”

Between 5pm and 10pm, the fire control centre handled 367 calls to incidents, of which 224 were to small fires or bonfires.

Merseyside Police calls were down around 24% on last year, and force incident manager Insp Ian Fowler said: “It was incredibly quiet – not much different to a normal night to be honest.”

A Huyton man was arrested after being found in possession of over £1,500 worth of stolen display fireworks.

A Liverpool City Council spokesman said: “The rain didn’t seem to have dampened their spirits or reduced numbers at all. This year we had a Space Theme celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Moon landings which went down very well.”