At Halloween events across the capital innocent people have been attacked with fireworks. Thousands of teenagers, including myself, had headed out to see friends in open spaces before the November lockdown was imposed. Due to Covid restrictions this year we had been deprived of our traditional Bonfire night firework displays, but that was not to mean Halloween would be firework free.

I have always loved fireworks and even as I write this article, fireworks are erupting in fits every five minutes or so across the skyline to celebrate Diwali. But my experiences on Halloween a fortnight ago have shown me for the first time how fireworks can be used not as an expression of elation but as a tool of terror.

In parks across London - from Southbank to Wimbledon Common to Old Deer Park in Richmond - festive celebrations were marred by the deliberate targeting of people with fireworks. Old Deer Park, where I was, adopted the trauma of a 20th century battlefield as we rapidly dashed behind trees while fireworks illuminated the air, whizzed overhead and exploded just metres away. But thankfully there was space to run and shelter and I am not aware of any injuries. At Southbank on the other hand, which was one of the largest gatherings in the capital and accounted for two of the 11 major police callouts on Halloween, the situation was more severe. There were numerous accounts of people confined in the tunnels between Southbank and Waterloo Station suffering burns as a result of fireworks exploding on them.

My friend Bethan Cooper, who was at Southbank, spoke to This Is Local London: ‘It was not just one person, it was a lot of people [who were letting off the fireworks]. It was alright where I was but in The Arches it got out of hand, and the people were firing them at people and houses, they just didn’t care.’

The events on Halloween, which surely don’t exist in isolation, not only make one wonder who could be so twisted as to revel in the infliction of fear and pain on others, but also call into question the regulations for buying fireworks. According to an official government website, standard fireworks cannot be bought by anyone under the age of 18. Moreover they must be bought from a licensed shop and they may not be let off in the street or any public place. However during the festive season purchasing laws are relaxed significantly. In a simple test of attempting to buy fireworks from one of the plethora of online retailers, I found that in order to make a purchase I only had to click a button to confirm my age.

It seems shocking that in a country where guns are banned, we are allowing fireworks - which can cause serious injury when used with malevolent intent - to be bought so easily. One measure to tackle inappropriate use could be to require anyone wishing to use fireworks of grade 2 or above to obtain a licence. I hope that the people who weaponised fireworks on Halloween are ashamed of the injury they caused to innocent people.