A bid for the council to seek more control on fireworks in North Ayrshire was voted down last week.

SNP Councillor Anthea Dickson asked that council support the RSPCA campaign to ban the sale of noisier F3 fireworks to the public.

In a motion at a full council meeting last week, Cllr Dickson asked for a review of licensing and trading standards policies to strengthen controls within the council’s powers and lobby the UK Government to limit the maximum noise level to 90dB for those sold to the public.

However councillors voted in favour of an amendment stating they would await and support the Scottish Government’s Fireworks Action Plan, with Conservative Cllr Timothy Billings adding that 90dB was around the same 85dB noise level as a handheld sparkler.

Cllr Dickson said: “I and several other councillors have received requests from constituents wanting the council to limit sales of noisier fireworks (category F3, display fireworks), thereby reducing stress and fear to humans, and stress and injury to animals.

“We want people to attend organised displays that are well advertised in advance and are well managed. It is the indiscriminate setting of fireworks that terrifies people. The lack of warning means that they are not prepared, can’t avoid it or take measure to minimise the effects.

Cllr Billings said: “I would suggest that the RSPCA’s campaign is slightly limited in its aims and doesn’t take into account that a lot of people do actually like fireworks and that setting fireworks off does have cultural significance and can help bring communities together for celebration.

“I would suggest it would be more appropriate for NAC to recognise the work already underway within Scotland rather than to support a campaign by a charity which doesn’t even operate in Scotland.”