Safety first ensures an After Dark spectacular - SLIDESHOW
A BIG safety operation was launched to ensure Sheffield's annual fireworks celebration could go with a bang.
Rain leading up to After Dark in the Don Valley Bowl on Wednesday night threatened to put the skids under organisers and the public.
But the laying of straw and a break in the weather did the trick and 16,000 people were able to enjoy the fireworks, bonfire, funfair rides and music.
"It was a great turnout," said Scott Barton, of the Sheffield Events Company. "We had two or three days of rain in the lead-up and we were battling with the ground conditions to make the site safe. We put a huge amount of straw on the ground to soak up the water.
"It's been hard work but we pulled it off, the people of Sheffield responded and everybody seemed to have a good time. We also had an amazing break in the weather."
Scott praised the Territorial Army and a recycling organisation Team 777 for their efforts in ensuring the ground was safe and helping traders on to and off the site.
He added that there had been a "massive" student turnout this year, especially among international students. The profile of After Dark had been raised by an article in The Guardian listing its as the second best bonfire in the country.
A 20 family ticket proved popular. "We thought we might be down on numbers this year because of the credit crunch and the weather, but the weather was good to us in the end and there has been so much depression that perhaps people wanted cheering up."
Numbers of fireworks-related incidents dealt with on Wednesday by South Yorkshire firefighters dropped from 443 last year to 244. Many involved bonfires out of control.
A 20-year-old man had to put out flames after a firework thrown through the window of a house on Upperthorpe set fire to bedding. A Toyota Corolla car in Ashland Road, Nether Edge, was damaged when a firework was set off under it.
Police patrolled some Sheffield streets in the run-up to Bonfire Night, alongside a teacher and a parent who warned youngsters found getting up to mischief that they would be reported to their school. It was part of Operation Dark Nights, coinciding with the busy period around Hallowe'en and Bonfire Night.
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Weather for Sheffield
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
