Bonfire celebrations

As it does every year, Sefton Council is working closely with Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service (MFRS) to ensure that bonfire celebrations across the Borough are safe, well-managed, and enjoyable for everyone. This is part of a long-standing partnership and a proactive approach to community safety. 

Both organisations are encouraging people to attend organised community bonfires and firework displays as these have been planned with people’s safety in mind, including reducing risks to residents, property and emergency service personnel. 

Wheelie bins, rubbish and fly-tipped materials 

Sefton Council and MFRS are also urging residents to help reduce deliberate fires involving wheelie bins, rubbish, and fly-tipped materials. These secondary fires can quickly spread, endanger lives, and prevent firefighters from responding to life-threatening emergencies. 

Residents can help by: 

• Bringing wheelie bins in promptly after collection 
• Helping neighbours by bringing their bins in too 
• Never giving combustible materials to anyone, especially young people. This includes flammable liquids like petrol, matches and lighters. Always store flammable substances securely, out of reach and away from heat sources. 
• Reporting fly-tipping at www.sefton.gov.uk/fly-tipping 
• Reporting unlit bonfires at https://www.merseyfire.gov.uk/safety-advice.

Work together

 Mark Thomas, Area Manager for MFRS, said: 
“We want to ensure that everyone can enjoy the bonfire period safely and without risk of injury to themselves or damage to property. On the 5th of November we generally adopt a tolerant approach towards bonfires which are managed safely – if they're in the open, supervised by adults and under control we do not extinguish them. 

“However last year, the sheer size of some of the bonfires at some sites in Merseyside posed a serious risk to public safety. We have been working closely with local councils, neighbourhood teams, Merseyside Police and community bonfire organisers to ensure that the size of the bonfires does not get out of hand and present a risk to the safety of the public, our firefighters and other emergency services. We will work together to ensure that associated events have effective crowd management in place, so safety routes are not compromised, and if emergency response is required access is not hindered.”  

Dangerous and illegal bonfires

Cllr Peter Harvey, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Cleansing and Street Scene, said: 
“Fly-tipping is illegal, selfish and anti-social – it annoys many of Sefton’s residents and as councillors, it annoys us too, which is why we are determined to address the issue head-on to ensure our community is safe.  

“We know there will be a noticeable increase in fly-tipping during the bonfire period, with dumped waste often used as fuel for dangerous and illegal bonfires. This is completely unacceptable and puts people, property and the environment at risk.” 

Residents are encouraged to continue reporting fly-tipping and unsafe bonfire materials to help keep Sefton safe this bonfire season.