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Man charged and fireworks worth £5000 seized one day before bonfire night

Police Scotland Dozens of boxes of fireworks piled high in an office. Police Scotland
Police said it was an offence to buy, possess or use fireworks without a licence.

A man has been arrested and charged after police in Edinburgh seized £5000 worth of fireworks from a van in the city centre.

Police Scotland said officers acting on intelligence recovered 200kgs of fireworks about 21:30 on Wednesday on the city's London Road. Some of the fireworks recovered were capable of firing 555 individual rockets.

The 39-year-old was arrested and charged in connection with possession of fireworks in a public place and is due to appear in court at a later date.

Ch Supt David Robertson said there was huge potential for the fireworks to be distributed around the city for the purposes of causing disorder.

He said: "The misuse of fireworks presents a significant risk to the public and emergency personnel, and can result in serious injury, fires and damage to properties.

"Officers will continue to carry out enquiries in the Edinburgh area to detect and disrupt the illegal sale or use of fireworks, and we remain committed to working with partner agencies to ensure everyone's safety.

"We rely on intelligence from the local communities, and anyone with information about planned disorder or concerns about fireworks is asked to contact Police Scotland."