'Bonfire Night fireworks sent me back to the battlefield'

"It's quite severe. There's been occasions when it has made me sick."

Simon West joined the army when he was 16 years old, going on to be posted in Germany and Northern Ireland before serving in the First Gulf War.

While he eventually left the army and moved back into civilian life, his military service never really left him.

West, who lives in north Solihull, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and one of his major triggers is fireworks, with the flashes and bangs dragging his mind back in time.

"The crack and thump of fireworks can take you back to when you're in combat – it sounds very similar to being shot at," the 58-year-old said.

The autumnal months became a time of year that he used to dread.

"I thought I was alright, I thought everybody else had the problem," he said.

"It manifested in many ways – anger, sleepless nights, nightmares. All those culminated in my wife saying there's something seriously wrong with you."

West went to his doctor and was recommended contacting a charity called Combat Stress, a mental health charity which supports the armed forces.

"For the first time someone actually listened to me and was interested in what was wrong with me instead of - you sort yourself out," he said.

He underwent a two-week residential course with the charity and admits: "I thought I had all the answers, I thought I was cured."

After suffering a breakdown, West then did a six-week residential course and had intensive therapy.

He credits the charity's with teaching him coping mechanisms which have helped him to deal with fireworks.

They have also supported his family.

"Combat Stress don't just treat veterans, they treat families as well. My wife and family are aware this time of year is not good for me," he said.

"They try and coax me through it, occupy my mind. As soon as it gets dark these days, the curtains are drawn, the telly goes up another notch, [there are] scented candles.

"Just to keep your mind in the present day, not associating with previous tours."

The NHS describes PTSD as a mental health condition with symptoms that present as distressing thoughts about a traumatic event or experience.

Symptoms can also include flashbacks, vivid or intrusive images or thoughts, and recurring dreams or nightmares caused by very stressful, frightening or distressing events.

Dr Vicky Aldridge, the principal clinical psychologist at Combat Stress, said: "You can think of [PTSD] as a memory processing problem.

"When a traumatic event happens the mind and body is overwhelmed and the body can't process what's happening successfully.

"So its like the memory gets stuck and overtime when that persists that becomes PTSD, so triggers and reminders in the environment can activate that memory again, leaving the body unsafe even though logically we know we're safe."

Aldridge said learning to cope with fireworks meant increasing people's feeling of safety, which could include using noise-cancelling headphones, closing the curtains and listening to music.

She also recommended using grounding skills to help people stay in the present moment and regulate their central nervous systems.

"We also know many veterans want to get involved with fireworks displays but are struggling to, so can look to build tolerance to fireworks," Aldridge added.

"Like repeatedly playing video of fireworks and slowly increasing volume to help the brain and body realise it's safe – it helps to loosen the connection to past trauma."

A growing number of people want to restrict the amount of noise fireworks can produce and a recent government consultation proposed cutting the maximum noise of fireworks sold to the public from 120 to 110 decibels.

The government says it would roughly halve how loud they sound.

West believes reducing the noise level of fireworks would be beneficial, but would also like to see controls introduced on the purchasing of fireworks.

He believes it is "ridiculous" how many nights of the year he currently hears fireworks, saying the fact it can be "any day of the week" is mentally draining.

"Instead of individual displays or in back gardens, purchasing fireworks should be controlled more so not everyone can go into supermarkets and let them off in own gardens," he said.

"If an organised display is two miles away from me I would avoid the area. [But] anyone can buy them makes it so hard for me and the veteran community to prepare."

Aldridge thinks it is important that any review of fireworks legislation takes into account veterans living with military-related trauma.

"Veterans should be able to plan for where fireworks are near them so they can put coping strategies in place," she said.

"We would like there to be restrictions on how many days in England and Wales fireworks can be used.

"I think really we're not saying people can't enjoy fireworks night, it does bring a lot of positives as well. It's being mindful of people struggling from trauma."

Combat Stress has a 24/7 helpline which people can contact on 0800 138 1619.

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.