“Animals have no idea what the loud bangs and flashes are and can become very stressed and anxious." 

Move welcomed by vets and animal charities

Major retailer Sainsbury’s has announced that it will no longer be selling fireworks in its stores.

The supermarket confirmed the decision had been reached following a review of its products. A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said customers “can continue to choose from a range of seasonal products, such as glow sticks and light up spinning wands."


Welcoming the news, Becky Thwaites, head of public affairs at Blue Cross said: “It’s great news that Sainsbury’s has taken the decision not to sell fireworks this year and we would urge others to follow suit as this time of year can be particularly stressful and painful for pets.

“Animals have no idea what the loud bangs and flashes are and can become very stressed and anxious. They also have really acute hearing so high-pitched noises, bangs and whistles can cause actual pain in their ears.”


The BVA tweeted: "Well done @sainsburys for recognising the negative impact of fireworks on animal welfare. The loud noises and bright flashes can be extremely traumatic for pets, wildlife, horses and livestock leading to serious injury in some cases."


In 2018, a petition calling on the government to review existing fireworks regulations garnered more than 300,000 signatures. In response, the government said in a statement that it “takes the issue of safety of fireworks very seriously. Legislation is in place to control their sale, use and misuse. We have no plans to change legislation."

Becky continued: “Blue Cross would like to see further restrictions around the sale of fireworks, limiting them to licensed, public occasions and organised events only. The charity also recommends that local authorities should take the location of public displays into consideration when granting them a licence and require that they are well publicised in the surrounding area.”