Two huge bonfires have been set alight weeks before November 5 amid fears the council was going to take them down.
The fires were set alight in two areas of Birkenhead and in the Wirral, Merseyside, on October 22.
Wirral Council did not give the go-ahead to light both bonfires, which organisers say is due to a “lack of communication to the community”.
Claims spread online suggesting the council, as well as housing firm Magenta Living, had tried to prevent certain bonfires in the area from going ahead.
Northend Bonfire Night organisers claimed on Facebook that “a bonfire that is half the size of last year, has now become too dangerous this year”.
They wrote online: “Northend, as a community, have been denied our freedom to build a bonfire that has gone on for generations. Our local council are giving off the impression that no matter what efforts and time our community put in, it’s never going to be good enough.
“We’ve worked closely with some great people who work for the council, but unfortunately, all our hard work together has gone to waste.”
Letters are believed to have been received from the council to the organisers explaining why these bonfires cannot go ahead.
The fire was set alight despite the council not giving permission
|
However, the bonfires were set alight by an unknown group, with the planners stating: “We’ve just been watching the Liverpool game and someone’s lit our bonfire.
“Shame the council never let the kids of the community have their bonfire, as they’ve all been well behaved working with us recently.”
Following the event, Wirral Council released a statement reading: “Events like bonfires and firework displays, safety has to be the number one consideration.
“To check events are safe, we asked organisers of the six proposed community bonfire and firework events to provide us and partner agencies with information covering everything from how their events would be stewarded and what first aid would be available, to what public liability insurance was in place and what the scale of the planned bonfire was.
“Following advice from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and an independent fire safety assessor, organisers from two areas, Woodchurch and Ilchester Park, Birkenhead, were asked to reduce the size of their bonfires on safety grounds.”
The council explained that at no point were the organisers told to cancel their events, but just to reduce the amount of materials they were being used for the bonfires.
The statement continued: “We acknowledge the considerable amount of hard work put in by community organisers and the enjoyment they bring to local people.
“However, the safety of people attending, those in local housing and the people who are involved in building or lighting the fires must come first.
Wirral Council’s letter to organisers explaining the requirements for the bonfire
|
“Based on information from trained fire safety officials, these two bonfires were deemed not to be of a safe size, particularly when considered in the context of their wider event plans.”
A spokesman for Mersey Fire and Rescue Service said: “Fire crews were notified at 6:44pm and on scene at 6:48pm, with two fire engines in attendance.
“Crews arrived to find a large bonfire had been lit with a large group of youths in attendance.
“Fire crews are liaising with Merseyside Police at the scene and will re-attend the scene if they are requested.”