Fire service asks Wirral residents to report unlit bonfires and take care with fireworks this Halloween

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service is asking residents to take simple precautions over Halloween and Bonfire Night. Residents are being urged to including report piles of rubbish that could be used for bonfires.

During the bonfire period, the service removes tonnes of potential bonfire material, such as wood, mattresses and rubbish, from the streets of Merseyside.

Here are its main tips:

• Only adults should light bonfires and fireworks. Never put fireworks in pockets, throw them or go back to one once it has been lit.
• Never throw fireworks or aerosols onto a bonfire.
• Keep Halloween costumes away from naked flames, and check they are UKCA or CE marked.
• Use battery-operated LED candles where possible, and put real candles firmly in holders away from anything that can burn.
• Keep decorations away from candles and radiators, and make sure they don't block front or back doors.
• Check no children or animals are in or near a bonfire before it is lit, and keep pets indoors during fireworks.
• Go to organised displays and keep children supervised.
• Only put wheelie bins out on collection day and bring them in as soon as possible, as they can be a target for arson.

Group Manager Craig Whitfield, who leads community safety, said the service attended fewer deliberately set fires over last year's bonfire period than in 2024, and wants that to continue.

He said: "If our firefighters are responding to a wheelie bin fire or bonfire, it prevents them from responding to another, potentially life-threatening incident."

He said crews came under attack more than once last year, including an incident where youths threw fireworks at a crew, causing temporary hearing loss for three firefighters.

"An attack on fire crews is an attack on your own community," he said. "All fire engines carry CCTV cameras and footage will be passed on to Merseyside Police."

The advice comes days after a fire investigation found a fatal house fire in Wallasey was caused by a candle that killed a man and his dog.

Unlit bonfires and build-ups of rubbish can be reported on the fire service's website. In an emergency, always call 999 rather than messaging the service on social media.