With bonfire season around the corner, Hackney Council is urging businesses to keep safe by storing fireworks correctly.

Any business or display organiser planning to store explosives, such as fireworks or detonators, is required by law to have a current explosives registration or - depending on the type or amount of fireworks - a licence.

All existing registrations and licenses in the borough will expire on 1 October, after which the Council’s Trading Standards Team will be visiting new and renewal applicants to ensure they have appropriate storage available.

If you are considering arranging a display this year, or if you are a shopkeeper and plan on selling fireworks, contact the Council’s Licensing Team on 020 8356 4970 or visit www.hackney.gov.uk/licensing. It costs £52 to renew a registration, or £105 to new applicants. Licences cost £178. All documents last for 12 months.

Councillor Feryal Demirci, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, says: “We want a safe bonfire night, and that means ensuring that businesses and display organisers are aware of how to store fireworks safely and comply with the law. Our message is simple; store safe to stay safe.”

*Net Explosive Quantity in fireworks is roughly one quarter of the gross weight.