Bring back our 'official' Bonfires
From the Guardian Series, first published Friday 5th Nov 2004.
COUNCIL bosses have come under fire this week for their failure to organise any official bonfires in the town due to health and safety precautions.
Once an annual family outing, with bonfires held across the town at numerous locations, the traditional event has now been replaced by organised firework displays.
But the move, which has proved unpopular with the Warrington public, has angered many who are now calling on the council to reinstate the bonfires.
Birchwood town councillor Chris Fitzsimmons slammed the council's decision and blamed it on what he described as 'the health and safety mafia'.
Up until two years ago Birchwood Forest Park was the venue for one of the town's most popular bonfires but health and safety concerns meant the event had to be cancelled.
Clr Fitzsimmons said: "I've met with the borough council to discuss the matter but it was too late to organise anything for this year. We do hope to revive it for next year's 400th anniversary of Bonfire Night.
"I have expressed my dismay that the country has been taken over by the health and safety mafia, the same kind of mindset that says we can't have proper crockery at the town hall.
"I am disappointed that we can't have one this year but I accept that, to an extent, the Birchwood bonfire was a victim of its own success with far more people turning up than were initially expected."
Dave Stamp, Head of Landscape Services at Warrington Borough Council, said: "We carried out a major review of large scale council-run bonfires a few years ago and it identified a number of problems and health and safety issues with the sites.
"The issues were important enough to compromise the effective and safe planning of these events and we took the decision to focus our attention on free admission firework displays that would be suitable for the whole family and they are proving to be hugely successful."
posted by Flashman at 10:52
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home