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Greater Manchester Police chief says he would ban fireworks ‘given half a chance’
Each year, the NHS reports thousands of injuries relating to fireworks used at home
Greater Manchester Police chief has revealed his stance on the sale of fireworks, saying he would ban them if ‘given half the chance’.
While appearing as a guest on BBC Radio Manchester, Chief Constable Stephen Watson said he has long held the view that ‘it’s only a matter of time before somebody gets killed’, stressing that it simply ‘cannot happen’.
A concerned caller asked the police chief what will be done about fireworks in the run-up to Bonfire Night, saying: “I know it’s coming up to Bonfire time but it’s horrendous where I live.
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“We’re a sheltered accommodation with people over sixty, some seventy, and it’s unbelievable. There are twelve fireworks in a box that I believe are about £35 to buy and when they go off they’re like explosions.”
Host Mike Sweeney pointed out that he had previously heard callers speak about fireworks being used as a ‘quasi-weapon’, before asking the chief if he would ban fireworks altogether, to which he responded: “Given half a chance – yes I would.”
He continued: “We’ve had people almost pointing rockets at passing vehicles and buses and putting them into telephone kiosks and all the rest of it.
“This goes a long way away from kids knocking around a bonfire and letting off a few fireworks and having fun. It’s that of course that we want to preserve. This is something we’re very much alive to.
Alex Jones / Unsplash
“We know the distress it causes to people.”
Chief Constable Watson added that GMP are working with the fire service, the local authorities and Trading Standards to stop fireworks being sold to young people ‘who shouldn’t have them.’
He explained: “We’re being really proactive about stopping people and searching people where we have suspicions that they’re going to use these weapons inappropriately. Because I’ve taken the view for a long time that it is only a matter of time before somebody gets killed. And that cannot happen.”
As it stands, anyone over the age of eighteen can legally purchase fireworks with the law permitting them to be used between the hours of 7am and 11pm. But, according to figures from NHS Digital, there were almost 2,000 occasions of people going to A&E linked to fireworks in 2018 and 2019.
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Dad accidentally buys 60 pairs of reading glasses
‘He thought the packaging was a little excessive’
A dad accidentally bought 60 pairs of reading glasses after misreading an order.
The dad has gone viral on Twitter for his massive order of reading spectacles. He was left baffled as to why the parcel was so full when it arrived at his address on Sunday March 26th, leaving his son in stitches.
Tom Arnold, 61, from Perranporth in Cornwall, thought he’d only ordered one pack to share with his wife — not a whole shop’s worth. Radio and podcast host, Chris Arnold could not stop laughing as he witnessed his dad open the parcel with a bewildered look on his face.
The viral tweet read: “My Dad has accidentally bought 60 pairs of reading glasses off the internet after misreading the quantity of his order.”
Speaking about the mishap, Chris said: “I just found it hilarious, he said he thought the packaging was excessive, then he opened it up and the box was full.
“He seemed confused as to what had happened. We looked at the order and he had ordered 12 packs instead of one, as they were for him and my mum, plus spares. The order came to over £100 but he’s managed to get a refund!”
He described the incident as ‘very funny indeed’, saying it ‘cheered up’ him and his family. As the tweet went viral and accumulated thousands of likes, Specsavers jumped in on the banter as they tweeted: “Do we even need to say it?”
Chris joked in reply: “At this point guys, I don’t think you do. P.S. Are you interested in buying 59 pairs of reading glasses off my dad?”
They hilariously replied: “If you can’t shift them you might want to consider adding an extra 118 eyes to your dad’s face.”
Specsavers tweeted an update on the situation: “The glasses have been safely returned, but Chris’ dad deserves a bit of good luck. How about a free eye test and a brand-new pair of glasses for good measure?
“You really should’ve gone to Specsavers.”
Aldi is now selling wearable sleeping bags for ultimate comfort — they even have arm and leg sections.
If you love to go to budget supermarket Aldi and have a wander over to the middle aisle, you’ll know you can find all sorts of handy and unusual things to buy.
Aldi shopper and TikTok user Paris de Jager sharedwith her followers how she picked up a wearable sleeping bag ‘onesie’, that even has leg and arm sections.
The social media user upload a video to her TikTok account @parisdejager showing her modelling the bright pink seasonal must have.
She wrote in a caption: “The sleeping bag one-z you never knew you needed until now.”
She ‘catwalked’ in her home as she showed off her incredible new bag suit by Adventuridge, looking ‘snug as a bug’.
Her video has racked up over 137k likes and many people were amazed at her incredible Aldi find.
Her followers flocked to comment and rave about the hot pink cosy number.
One said: “might just have to purchase for DofE.” Another added: “need for weekends.”
And a third joked: “Glastonbudget.” A fourth chimed in : “My reading outfit sorted.”
Aldi launched a similar wearable sleeping bag last year, and it weren’t long before the cosy suit sold out online.
You can purchase a wearable sleeping bag in time for festival season here.
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