Danger at Himley Hall bonfire

My family and I attended the annual Himley Hall bonfire. We live in Wall Heath and decided the most viable option would be to walk to the park.

The fireworks were spectacular and would have rivalled the likes of the Magic Kingdom and Epcot in Disneyworld, Florida.

After enjoying the evening a loud speaker announcement said pedestrians could leave the park and had around half-an-hour before cars were allowed to leave.

A mass exodus descended on to the Himley Road, with a few police around the gate. People were walking 20 abreast down to the traffic lights on Wolverhampton Road.

At that point a bus decided to come from the opposite direction into the centre of the crowd.

The road was badly lit and parents with children were scrambling to hold on to their broods for fear of injury.

The safe, calm atmosphere was shattered and people were starting to spill out on to the Wolverhampton Road to make their ways back to Wall Heath and Kingswinford.

On the Wolverhampton Road the traffic was running in both directions. People were unable to use footpaths as every available space was filled with cars.

Motorists were driving into the crowds and people had nowhere to go.

At one point my family were walking single file on the white line in the middle of the road with traffic attempting to drive both sides.

After the exit gate at Himley Hall there was not one police officer; no-one was overseeing the safety of anyone after leaving the park.

The whole process was a shambles.

We are advised to attend organised displays for safety reasons and we pay our money in good faith, only for Dudley Council to let us down.

It was a case of "we've had your money now leave at your own risk".

Mrs D Guest.

New Dudley Road,

Wall Heath.