COUNCILLORS in Caerphilly have agree to push for restrictions on fireworks, over concerns for animal welfare.

A motion was presented to the council by Councillor Nigel Dix following a call by animal protection charity RSPCA, which receives around 400 calls a year due to fireworks.

“It’s not just us – it also puts a huge strain on the emergency services,” RSPCA representative Lewis Clark said.

The motion asks the local authority to write to the Welsh Government and urge them to mitigate any negative impacts that fireworks displays may have on animals and vulnerable people.

It also asks the authority to write to the UK government to urge them to introduce legislation to limit the maximum noise level of fireworks to 90 decibels for those sold to the public for private displays.

Cllr Mike Adams raised concerns about the subjectivity of what 90 decibels means.

A decibel is an intensity of sound and 90 decibels can be compared to a nearby truck, or screaming and shouting.

The committee’s chairman, Cllr Tudor Davies, asked how this could be enforced.

A council report says: “RSPCA Cymru believes there is a real need to raise awareness among owners of animals about fireworks phobia.

“This phobia can be treated (in dogs at least) in the long term but owners need to prepare themselves and their pets sooner, rather than just before the fireworks are let off.

“There is a need to raise awareness about the impact of fireworks on animals to the wider public to encourage them to be more considerate of those with pets, horses and livestock as well as local wildlife.”

The motion will be presented to full council in the coming months.