Firework competition 'pretty safe' from fire risk
Getty ImagesThe British Firework Championships will be "pretty safe" over the risk of a display causing a fire, organisers say.
Six professional pyrotechnic teams will each have 10 minutes to showcase their best displays for the annual competition, set to begin in Plymouth on Wednesday and finish on Thursday.
The fireworks will be fired from the Mountbatten breakwater, meaning they will largely be surrounded by water. Wildfires, however, continue to grip the South West, with a number of blazes breaking out across Devon and Cornwall in recent days.
Championships director Jim Winship said there was "only one small area where we could cause a fire and we will have a fire engine ready just in case".
Wildfire index 'high'
He said: "We're in a pretty good place because our displays take place out on a breakwater in the middle of Plymouth Sound, and there's only one small area where we could cause a fire, and we will have a fire engine ready just in case."
He added: "From a fire point of view, it's pretty safe."
A hosepipe ban remains in force across Devon and Cornwall due to the hot and dry weather, with more than two-thirds of England officially in drought.
Organisers of Falmouth Week in Cornwall have called off their annual display, which was due to take place on Friday, due to the dry conditions.
Richard Gates, Falmouth Week shoreside committee chair, said: "We've spent many hours looking at every alternative with our partners, but with the ground this dry the risks are too high and safety has to come first, and that unfortunately means the display can't go ahead this year."
Of the displays taking place in Plymouth over two days, Winship said there were "very strict rules" about the types of fireworks competitors could use, with sparklers also banned.
He added the event, in its 31st year, was expected to bring about £5m-worth of business to Plymouth, with crowds in excess of 35,000 expected to attend each night.
"We fill up pretty much all the hotels and restaurants for the two days and the number of people attending is huge," he said.
Dan Searle, from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, said that over the next couple of days "the wildfire index is extremely high so we are urging people to be really vigilant, really careful".
Cornwall's fire service also urged the public to "exercise extra caution" when using barbecues, disposing of smoking materials and enjoying open spaces.
Both fire services have also cautioned people against carrying out controlled burns in case they got out of control.
