Hospitals are bracing for an increase
in patients with firework-related burns and injuries next week,
after admissions jumped 42% last November, with some children
suffering life-changing injuries.
There were 85 firework-related
hospital admissions in England in November 2025, up from 60 in
November the year before. Across the whole of 2025, admissions
reached 161, compared with 120 the previous year a rise of
34%.
The NHS is urging people to come
forward for care immediately if they are injured by a firework.
The NHS website has advice on burns, first aid and where to seek
help if someone is injured.
Children are among those that suffer
the most devastating injuries.
One children's nurse from
the Children's Burns Unit at Nottingham warned that they
have treated children for life-changing injuries due to fireworks
and sparklers being used inappropriately at
home.
The new data comes as hospitals head
into winter under mounting pressure, after England recorded its
busiest-ever September for A&E attendances and ambulance
incidents.
Professor Frankie Swords, NHS
medical director, said:
Bonfire Night is a great opportunity
to be with friends and family, but this data is a timely reminder
of the danger fireworks can pose and it's children that often end
up paying a devastating price.
Some have suffered life-changing
injuries, turning what should be a night of fun into a
nightmare.
So it's vital you keep a close eye on
children and loved ones to help prevent accidents like this, and
know the NHS is available 24/7 if you need
us.
Call 999 in an emergency, and the NHS
website also offers information on the prevention and treatment
of burns, as well as first aid measures, for anyone who needs
it.
Anna Baker, Clinical Nurse
Specialist in Children's Burns and
Plastics, explained
that this increase in numbers is concerning and that many of the
children will need to receive additional treatment in the coming
years for their injuries.
She said: These children are having
life-changing injuries, often from fireworks which have been
purchased for use in their homes as we have seen a reduction in
organised displays that the public can attend.
Always stand well away from fireworks
and dispose of sparklers in cold water buckets. Sparklers can get
up to 4,000 degrees when lit and it is where we see the most
common cause of injuries during fireworks
seasons.
A Hartlepool family is urging people
to follow firework safety advice this Bonfire Night, after a
firework accident left their son with life-changing
injuries.
17-year-old Aleks
Stasiukiewicz from Hartlepool lost his left eye in a
tragic firework-related accident in November
2024.
Now, Aleks and his mum have joined
forces with University Hospitals Tees to raise awareness of
firework safety and to thank the NHS teams who helped him
recover.
Aleks was rushed to the University Hospital in
Middlesbrough where consultants confirmed he had lost his left
eye and part of his eyelid.
In addition, he had also suffered
minor burns to his arm and leg and broken his front
tooth.
Specialist oncoplastic surgeons
removed fragments of firework residue from his eye socket and
inserted a ball-shaped prosthesis to replicate the movement of a
real eye.
Julie added: The hospital was
incredible and I cannot thank them enough for all they have done
to give Aleks some normality, in what can only be described as a
tragic incident.
Aleks underwent surgery the next day
and now, thanks to the team's expertise, he still has movement
within his eye socket.
He has lost a lot and there will be
things he can't do but we feel lucky. It could have been so much
worse.
Aleks said: "When people say don't
play with fireworks, listen."
NHS burns advice
says severe burns and scalds that are
large or deep may need treatment in
hospital.
RoSPA provides advice on its website on how to stay safe around sparklers, bonfires and
fireworks.
