‘Disgraceful’ reaction to cancelled Littlehampton Bonfire Night

As blustery winds battered the town’s seafront on Saturday, members of the Littlehampton Bonfire Society were urged to call off the display by West Sussex Fire and Rescue as conditions had become too dangerous.

The move has since been met with a wave of criticism from a small number of locals – some of whom even asked for a refund of their donation to this year’s charity street collection.

Richard Cooper, secretary of the bonfire society, said: “The way a small minority of people have acted is appalling. The have abused our volunteers – who have spent the best part of a year organising this display – with some people asking for their money back from street collections and official programme sales.”

This is the fourth time, in the event’s 61-year history, it has been cancelled.

The society had taken precautions, prior to the cancellation, to improve safety.

The cordon for spectators around the bonfire on The Green had been enlarged. Due to the windy weather, the professional pyrotechnicians agreed that the fireworks should not be set-off and supported the cancellation decision.

For more information about what Littlehampton Bonfire Society plans next, read this week’s Littlehampton Gazette, out from Thursday, October 31.