IF you don't have to go into the town centre this week don't bother. It's like Beirut.

The kids are off school again, this time for half term, and running riot, some letting off huge bangers.

People of a delicate disposition could be scared out of their wits.

At first I thought someone was shooting a gun, before I realised that bonfire night is almost upon us, and dangerous no brain yobs were letting fireworks off in Bradshawgate.

It's about time shops stopped selling the blooming things until a couple of days before the event.

In fact they cause so much trouble before and for weeks after they should be limited to organised displays, like the Leigh Round Table event next Friday.

Only this week young children practising basketball had to dive for cover when thickies threw a Roman candle into the gym at Westleigh High School.

The absolute height of stupidity.

I hope the culprits filmed on security video are caught by the police.

Not only should fireworks be limited, but the law should come down on traders who sell them to anyone under 18, or anyone providing minors with them for use before the day.

In fact spoilsport that I am, why not ban them altogether?

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.