Bang goes a night's sleep

This is an open letter to the person or persons who, at 2am on Sunday morning, in the Longford area of Cannock, were letting off several large fireworks over a period of some 20 minutes.

Your selfish, inconsiderate bit of fun has deprived me, my wife and no doubt any number of other residents of a decent night's sleep.

It is also possible that you have caused distress to their pets in the process with your antics. I hope your thoughtlessness was a one-off, but I suspect not.

It is time that real action was taken over the now annual menace of the disturbance that increasingly larger fireworks in the hands of these idiots creates.

I do not by any means want to deprive anyone of innocent pleasure (I enjoy displays myself, in their proper place) and have no objection to any display for particular events and festivals such as Guy Fawkes and Diwali, but please, no later than 11 pm – with the exception perhaps of New Year.

I also feel there should be a limit on the size of "bang" available to anyone other than those organising properly regulated public displays – this might also reduce the number and severity of injuries suffered every year around this time.

I am however, realistic enough to expect that any specific legislation on this matter would be worthless; the police have more than enough on their hands without having to trace everyone who breaches it and the magistrates courts are probably not the place to administer appropriate punishment.

I can only hope that neighbourhood pressure on unreasonable activity will prevail, but my natural cynicism dictates otherwise.

David Cross, Dorchester Road, Cannock.