MOVES to crack down on firework misuse have been welcomed by a campaigning councillor who gathered a massive borough wide petition calling for tougher legislation.

Labour councillor Sandra Banawich said: "This is another step in the right direction and I am confident the proposals will bring some relief to many residents who suffer months of disturbance at all hours of the night.

"There is no need for fireworks that have the same noise level and destructive power as high explosives."

Under the new proposals, a national curfew would ban the use of fireworks between 11pm and 7am.

People who break the curfew could receive a fine of up to £5000 or six months in jail.

The ban would run from 2am until 7am on New Year's Eve, Bonfire Night, Diwali Night and Chinese New Year.

The proposals should be in place for this year's firework season.

A noise limit of 120 decibels is proposed for the largest and most powerful publicly available fireworks and a new licensing system would also be put in place for retailers that sell fireworks all year round.