'Risk of fatalities' posed by firework company

A firework supplier and its director have been sentenced after Trading Standards found a "significant risk of serious injury or fatalities" was posed by the storage of its stock.

Platinum Home Cinema (PHC) was fined £11,200 and its sole director, Chase James Gardiner, 42, of Hales Road, Cheltenham, was fined £3,986 with £10,634.30 in costs awarded to Gloucestershire County Council.

PHC sold fireworks as Chase Lane Fireworks from a livery yard in Shurdington. The supplier previously pleaded guilty to four breaches of the Health and Safety Act 1974 and the Explosive Regulations 2014.

Trading Standards found the containers, which were too close to nearby homes, had rusted.

The four charges related to events which took place in July 2024 and were as follows:

• Overstocking explosives by 36% in one of their licensed stores
• Storing explosives at an unlicensed location
• Storing explosives without meeting separation distances
• Failing to take steps to prevent fire or explosion, prevent its spread and protect people from its effects

Officers were alerted to the unlicensed storage of fireworks at the yard near Cheltenham in July 2024.

Fireworks with an explosives substance net mass of 1,220kg between them were found across three shipping containers.

The containers had rusted and had holes in them as well as doors that did not close fully, meaning they were not suitable for the storage of fireworks, the council said.

"Rust and bare metal inside a shipping container can be a source of sparks and holes can allow ingress of water which can adversely affect the operation of a firework," it said.

The containers were next to livery yard buildings, near stables and too close to homes.

A prosecution expert report highlighted a "significant risk of serious injury or fatalities", including to people both on site and nearby.

Records produced by PHC and Gardiner during the course of the investigation found they had been storing too many fireworks in one of their licensed stores.

Their licence permitted the storage of 800kg but their records showed they had 1,091kg, which is a 36% overstock.

Separation distances are determined by the quantity of fireworks being stored and by over-stocking they were unable to achieve the required separation distance, the council said.

Paul Hodgkinson, from the council, said: "Trading Standards informs fire and rescue colleagues about the location of licensed stores for the protection of firefighters.

"As this location was unknown, firefighters would have faced unknown risks had they attended an incident at the livery yard."

Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.