I suspect the 2, 3 or 4am firework users are not adults at bbq's at all but more likely kids who've illegally bought fireworks from a white van or a corner shop. Either way you should ring the police when it is happening and they will come out.

Here is some info on the current firework law from the Home Office website. Please don't tar all firework lovers with the "nuisance" tag, we are mostly repectable, tax paying adults using fireworks responsibly in our own gardens - not bored teenagers in an alleyway at 4am! Oh and we're probably all in bed by midnight if not earlier! It is legal to buy and use fireworks all year as long as you adhere to the law!

FIREWORK LAW
Throwing fireworks or setting off fireworks in public places.
Section 80 of the Explosives Act 1875) prohibits throwing or setting off fireworks on any highway, street, thoroughfare or public place. A public place is anywhere other than someone's own back garden. The local park, streets, school yard and bus station are all public places.

Possession of adult fireworks by anyone under the age of 18 in a public place.
'Adult fireworks' are defined as any fireworks except for a cap, cracker snap, novelty matches, party poppers, serpents and throwdowns. Even some sparklers are adult fireworks

Breaking the curfew on fireworks use
The Fireworks Regulations 2004 make it an offence for any person to use adult fireworks between the hours of 11pm and 7am except for 'permitted' fireworks nights. These exceptions, where the curfew start time is later, are as follows:
5 November: 12 midnight
Diwali: 1am
New Year's Eve: 1am
Chinese New Year : 1am

Penalties for fireworks offences
A maximum fine of £5000 or six months in prison, or both

An £80 penalty notice for disorder (PNDs) for persons aged 16 and over

Where fireworks misuse is part of a wider anti-social behaviour problem,acceptable behaviour contracts (ABCs), dispersal notices and anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) may be used.

Here here! Well said Lex, I thoroughly enjoy letting off fireworks in the warm summer months and I invite all my neighbours to watch - which they do and thoroughly enjoy might I add. I am not a yob and I wouldn't dream of making a racket of any sort at that time in the morning! Don't ban fireworks, ban hoodies and yobbos. If you have a noisy neighbour then complain to the police ASBO team, they will quickly sort it out for you.

As for firemen letting off fireworks> How does that work as they are trained TO PUT OUT FIRES!!!

Keep fireworks for all year and don't let a few rotten eggs spoil all our fun. Fireworks are safe when used responsibly and absolutely beautiful to watch. I am proud to be a firework enthusiast and I do not appreciate the label of "thoughtless".

Saturday night, August 23 (just under 3 month to Bonfire night) and our first few firworks have been let off.
The bangs that these things issue scare both of our dogs, and it takes ages for us to get them calm again.
Now that the fireworks have started, if this follows previous years, they will continue until Bonfire night, which now seems to last about 10 days before slowly dying down. Then there will be a break for a week or two, then they will start to go off again right up to new year and beyond.
I say ban the things, unless at an organised event.