Rome police headquarters on
Wednesday issued a reminder about current regulations banning
the use of fireworks without approval by public safety
authorities, while several other cities in Italy put a fireworks
ban in place this year due to the current smog emergency facing
the country.
Italian Premier Matteo Renzi on Tuesday held a press
conference on the issue, and said although he wouldn't put a
national fireworks ban in place, individual city governments are
free to decide on a case-by-base basis.
The bans haven't had an effect on the black market for
fireworks, however, and police around Italy have seized
unauthorised fireworks in several operations.
In the Naples area, police seized 1.5 tonnes of illegal
fireworks and arrested a 55-year-old man in Naples for
possession and manufacture of illegal fireworks, while five
others were arrested in nearby Torre di Greco.
In Parma, finance police seized nearly 16 million fireworks
destined for sale in Italy and Europe that didn't meet safety
standards.
Law enforcement in the Tuscan city of Siena seized 1,800
Chinese firecrackers from a local shopkeeper that were marked as
delayed detonation but could have exploded immediately after
being lit.
That seizure led to further checks which culminated in a
national recall resulting in 1.3 million items with a total
market value of 80,000 euros being taken off store shelves.
Meanwhile, Reggio Emilia regional councillor for safety
Natalia Maramotti received an anonymous threatening letter for
not putting a fireworks ban in place, while the city of Aosta
placed a citywide ban on both fireworks as well as the sale and
distribution of glass drink containers until 2 a.m. on January
1.
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