Anyone planning to celebrate the long weekend in NSW with a backyard fireworks display is being warned they risk hefty fines and even jail time.
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While "cracker night'' used to be an annual family festival in backyards across the country, the last one celebrated in NSW was in 1986, before it was banned for safety reasons.
SafeWork NSW's Natasha Mann warns anyone buying, storing, transporting or setting off fireworks without authorisation or the appropriate licence faces fines of up to $27,500 and a year in jail.
"Fireworks are not toys, they are regulated under explosives laws as they can cause serious injuries and death and should only be handled by licensed and trained individuals," she said on Thursday.
Almost 100 fireworks events have been registered in NSW this long weekend, leaving no excuses for putting on an illegal display.
SafeWork NSW is still investigating a Christmas carol community event on Sydney's northern beaches that ended in disaster in December after a firecracker misfired and hurtled into the crowd, injuring nine people.
"Fireworks in the hands of unlicensed users is a sure-fire way to put people and property in danger," Ms Mann said.
"Whether it is the guy with the lighter, or the child standing too close to an explosive, your cracker night could end in hospital in a split second."
Australian Associated Press
