POLICE officers are being urged to use new powers to ensure yobs are punished if they are caught mis-using fireworks.

David Chaytor, MP for Bury North, has backed new laws coming into force this week that £80 on-the-spot fines can be issued to: anyone caught setting off fireworks between 11pm and 7am; youngsters caught throwing fireworks; and adults found with high-powered display fireworks.

It also means it will be illegal for youngsters to carry adult fireworks in a public place. Offenders who refuse to pay the £80 fine will face an increased fine and court action

For the most serious fireworks offences, the police will retain the power to prosecute offenders with penalties up to a £5,000 fine and/or six months in prison.

Mr Chaytor said: "Many parents in Bury know that, in the wrong hands, fireworks can be very dangerous. I've heard of cases where families have been disturbed late at night, elderly people have felt trapped inside their homes and children and pets have been threatened by fireworks.

"That's why we need to make sure that fireworks are enjoyed safely. The new offences that come into force this week give the police the power to issue £80 fines to anyone over the age of 16 caught throwing a firework, or in possession of high-powered display fireworks, or breaking the firework curfew.

"It will also now be an offence for under 18s to possess adult fireworks in a public place.

"I know from my postbag that fireworks worry many people in Bury, especially in the run-up to Guy Fawkes Night. I agree with them that controlling fireworks matters."

According to police in Bury, the number of complaints regarding the misuse of fireworks has fallen by 50 per cent compared to this time last year. It is not yet known, however, if any fixed penalty fines have been issued to offenders.

In a voluntary bid to lessen the impact of fireworks, scores of traders across the borough have signed a voluntary Good Guys scheme limiting the sale of fireworks.

Next year, anyone who sells fireworks outside the three-week limited sales period will face prosecution and all firework vendors must apply for a £500 licence.