The official firework control zone (FCZ) boundaries cut some streets in half with only one side covered by the restrictions.
Helicopter footage showed youths throwing fireworks
Fireworks ban zones in Edinburgh do not cover areas that have seen some of the worst bonfire night trouble in recent years.
The official firework control zone (FCZ) boundaries cut some streets in half with only one side covered by the restrictions.
They include Hay Avenue in Niddrie, where the dividing line runs down the centre of a road where explosives were thrown at riot police during a stand-off two years ago.
The leader of City of Edinburgh Council has admitted that the control zones are “arbitrary” – but says she is confident they will continue to make the streets safer.
Last year Edinburgh became the first Scottish council to introduce a fireworks ban in parts of the city, including Niddrie, a year after clashes between police in Hay Avenue.
Video footage showed fireworks and petrol bombs thrown at officers.
Niddrie control zone
Riot police were attacked with bricks and fireworks, despite the restrictions, and a female police officer was injured when the window of her vehicle was shattered.
Local resident Liz Jack, who has lived in the area since 2016 and says the firework season is “absolutely terrifyingâ and that trouble escalated in 2023.
“They were firing rockets up and down the street and they were hitting off the window,” she said. “I was petrified with all the noise that was going on.”
Niddrie, Balerno, Calton Hill and Seafield all had firework restrictions in place in 2024. This year zones have also been set up in Corstorphine, Moredun, Gracemount, Longstone and Sighthill.
This year’s restrictions will run from October 31 to November 9, when it will be a criminal offence to set off a firework in an FCZ, including throwing one into the zone, unless part of an organised and licensed event.
Fireworks Control Zone
The control zones are expected to run alongside police dispersal zones which can stop groups of two or more people from gathering.
Other roads split in half by restrictions include Captain’s Road in Gracemount and Calder Road in Sighthill.
Local resident Nikita Hunter said: “It’s not going to work. Nothing is going to work, they’re going to do it anyway. If the police can’t do anything about it then who can?”
Jane Meagher, the leader of City of Edinburgh Council, said the fireworks zone had been “successful and effective” in controlling the worst of the disorder in Niddrie last year.
Asked about the boundary which splits Hay Avenue, she replied: “The control zones are in a sense arbitrary. But I am confident the exact arrangements that we had last year will bring about the same consequences this year, which is a safer experience for everybody.”
She added: “This year if we find there are problems in relation to the zones then we definitely would consider changing them.”
“The advice we’re getting is other things, such as dispersal orders, are more appropriate for the kind of disorder that happened in areas like Sighthill,” she said.
A recent court case heard that the petrol station on Calder Road was targeted with fireworks, and rockets were also set off near a petrol tanker.
Sighthill control zone
The neighbouring Sighthill Fire Station was also in lockdown due to the unrest, resulting in crews unable to leave or return to the station.
Neither site is covered by the Sighthill’s control zone this year.
Dr Nick McKerrell, senior lecturer in law at Glasgow Caledonian University, said the control zones could be seen as a deterrent.
“In theory it’s a good idea to localise laws as much as possible because communities can get involved,” he said. “The difficulty is the detail.”
Chief Supt David Robertson, Divisional Commander for Edinburgh, said the decision to implement the zones was a matter for local authorities.
He added: “Firework Control Zones are just one tool at our disposal to address criminality over the Bonfire Night period.
“I would like to reassure all affected communities that we will have significant local and national resources at our disposal as we seek to deter this harmful behaviour which simply has to stop.”
Glasgow will also enforce firework control zones this year, following a failed attempt to implement zones in 2024.
Areas of Govanhill, Pollokshields and Broomhouse will be covered by restrictions from November 1 to 10.
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