Wildlife charity urges UK to cut firework noise limit to 90 decibels
The Center for Wild Animal Welfare (CWAW) has called on the UK government to cut the maximum noise level of fireworks sold to the public from 120 decibels to 90 decibels, arguing that the change would help protect millions of wild animals from acute stress. Decibels are the units used to measure how loud a sound is.
In a Guardian report published on 4 November 2026, CWAW said a lower limit would reduce the area over which a firework disturbs surrounding wildlife. The group's director, Richard Parr, said a loud firework can penetrate up to 10 kilometres and that each 10-decibel reduction in the limit shrinks the area affected by noise tenfold.
The UK government has consulted on a different change: lowering the limit from 120 decibels to 110 decibels. The consultation, published in July 2026, asked whether the maximum should stay at 120 or fall to 110. CWAW said the 110-decibel proposal does not go far enough, and that a 90-decibel limit would leave the area disturbed by each firework about a hundred times smaller than under the government's plan.
Under current rules, fireworks in the main consumer categories, F1, F2 and F3, must not exceed 120 decibels. The British Veterinary Association has also joined calls for the limit to be cut to 90 decibels, according to a post by the association in February 2026.
Other countries have set lower limits. New Zealand introduced a 90-decibel limit on consumer fireworks in 2008.
The debate also rests on evidence about harm to animals. The Guardian has reported that quieter fireworks are not a complete solution, because flashes and unpredictable timing can still affect animals. In 2022, Prof Claudia Wascher said pyrotechnics cause animals' heart rates to soar, triggering a panic response and a desire to flee. Elsewhere, more than 1,000 birds were found dead near a hiking trail in Bulgaria on New Year's Day 2025, just over a kilometre from a site where fireworks had been set off.
The RSPCA, the animal welfare charity, has also published a report titled "Bang Out of Order: Fireworks Frighten Animals".
