A Dunmow man has labelled fireworks “lethal weapons” after a stray rocket landed in his back garden on the evening of November 5.

When Raj Samtani, 63, woke up on the morning of November 6, he found a firework sticking out of the ground only metres away from his patio.

Had anyone been in the garden at the time, they could have been "impaled" - Mr Samtani said.

Speaking to the Dunmow Broadcast, Mr Samtani said: "These [fireworks] are lethal weapons that can do some serious harm. This rocket could have impaled someone.

"It was quite windy that evening, so we don't know which direction it came from. And there were no public displays, so we think it could have been shop bought and private. We seem to be getting more and more unusual rockets landing in our garden every year.

"And they're getting bigger. Something has to be done about this. The time has passed from when we would accept such potential dangers."

Being a dog-owner, Mr Samtani was already aware of the hazards of fireworks for pets and other animals. However, he didn't expect such an incident to happen in his own garden.

He added: "It is very concerning for pets. My dog doesn't want to go out because of the fireworks. Thankfully, nothing worse happened."

Nationally, a petition to ban the general sale of fireworks to the public received more than 300,000 signatures, and was consequently presented to parliament. On November 5, the Government responded by saying: "[We recognise that] many people have strong feelings about fireworks, and the potential negative impact they can have on a community.

"However, we believe that the majority of people who use fireworks do so appropriately and have a sensible and responsible attitude towards them.

"We consider it a minority of people who use fireworks in a dangerous, inconsiderate or anti-social manner."

In October, Sainsbury's became the first major supermarket to ban the sale of fireworks at all of its 2,300 stores in the UK.

The current laws on fireworks prohibit anyone from setting off fireworks between 11pm and 7am, except on certain occasions, and ban anyone under 18 from buying "adult" fireworks.

Send your thoughts on fireworks to the Dunmow Broadcast at: editor@dunmow-broadcast.co.uk.