Campaigners in Bradford have welcomed news that national efforts to strengthen laws on the use of anti-social fireworks have reached the next stage.

The city has been plagued for years by rockets and other fireworks being launched at all hours of the day and night, a Bradford Council official said. said recently.

A new bill calling for tighter restrictions on noise levels, as well as tighter rules for vendors, has started making its way through parliament, with a major debate due to take place in January.

The group Bradford 4 Better, which has long called for a legislative overhaul, said the latest steps, along with a second invoice started by Bradford South MP Judith Cummins, were “a positive move”.

Shabaz Hussain said the lives of family members were made miserable by “air bombs and rockets scratching at night” throughout the year in the city.

“I want something done,” he said.

“I think there are various people who have the responsibility to make things happen.”

Mr Hussain’s daughter is autistic, with the impact on her – and subsequently everyone around her – very difficult for the family to deal with.

He said the loud sounds meant she did not sleep, with family and neighbors disturbed by her distress reaction, which can last for several hours.

For Dr. Khalid Abdulraziq, the noises trigger post-traumatic stress from his time living in Palestine and Iraq during the conflict.

“Whenever someone sets off the fireworks, it triggers the feeling of hiding under the table or under the bed all the time,” he said.

“It’s terrifying actually, I’m starting to feel a panic attack, it’s automatic.”

He continued: “My brain goes back (and I remember) I’m in Britain and it’s impossible for there to be a war, but if I was new to Britain and a friend told me there was a war outside, it i would think “

Sarah Owen recently got a first reading for her new Fireworks Bill, with the MP for Luton North calling for stricter rules for sellers and a 90 decibel limit on firework noise – the equivalent of a lawnmower.

“At current levels, it’s 120 decibels, which is the same sound as a rock concert or a plane taking off,” she said.

“Nobody wants to stop any fun or any celebration, but it’s about making sure it’s safe and considerate for everyone around us.

“Right now, we don’t have that balance.”

In England and Wales, it is illegal to set off fireworks between 11pm and 7am, except on Bonfire Night when the limit is 12am.

The window extends to 01:00 on New Year’s Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year.

For private use, fireworks can only be bought from registered seasonal sellers from October 15 to November 10, from Boxing Day to New Year’s Eve and three days before Diwali and Chinese New Year.

Kash Ahmed, from community action group Bradford 4 Better, said if the private member’s bills brought by Owen and Cummins were eventually passed into law, “it would really help to reduce anti-social behavior around fireworks “.

“The fact that it’s becoming a bit more of a priority after so many years of campaigning for so many of us in Bradford and across the country, I think that’s really nice to hear,” he said.

At a recent meeting, Susan Hinchcliffe, leader of Bradford Council, once again admitted that anti-social fireworks were “aggravating” for thousands of local residents.

The council said it believed existing legislation and local authority powers had not kept pace with the increasing availability and power of fireworks for the general public.

It called for “not just a change in the law, but a full and comprehensive review so we can respond.”

The government’s Department for Business and Trade previously told the BBC that public safety was a “priority” but insisted that “councils and the police have powers to protect the public from abuse and harm”.

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