Family fear over fireworks yobs

A distressed mother wants to warn Leighton residents after a gang of thoughtless teenagers threw a lit firework box into her back garden.
The firework box that was lit and thrown into the gardenThe firework box that was lit and thrown into the garden
The firework box that was lit and thrown into the garden

The upset lady, of Meadow Way, was first alerted to the burning box when she saw white smoke as she was looking out of her kitchen window at around 2.30pm on February 14.

Her pet cat and dog ran to seek shelter, whilst her two children, eight and 11, saw the smoke while they were in a bedroom upstairs and hurried down to their mum, terrified.

The mother, who wished to remain anonymous, claims: “I was washing dishes with the children’s nan in the kitchen and the first thing we noticed through the window was the white smoke.

The family cat was covered in paintThe family cat was covered in paint
The family cat was covered in paint

“The fireworks looked like matches lined up inside a box and were meant for standing up. Some shot at the windows – my dog dashed inside and my cat ran into the shed.

“My children came downstairs and had seen the smoke - they were petrified!

“I went outside and a neighbour said she had seen a group of boys run off. I managed to catch up with them in Middle Green park. There were five or six lads there, aged 15 or 16, who were lighting fireworks.

“They ran off, as I shouted: ‘you better run, the police will be after you!’”

The burned out firework casesThe burned out firework cases
The burned out firework cases

The firework damaged the decking and some of the woman’s plant pots, and the lady, her husband, and two children, say they have never experienced “anything like this” before.

However, it is the risk the firework posed and the fright caused to her cat that has left her most upset.

She said: “I’m not worried about my plant pots - my children could have been in the garden!

“Our fence is about 6ft high, so I don’t think you can tell whether or not someone is there if you are standing the other side.

The family cat was covered in paintThe family cat was covered in paint
The family cat was covered in paint

“Our cat was so frightened she ran into the shed and knocked over a tin of white emulsion paint!

“She’s long-haired, so I took her to the vets but they said to sedate and shave her would cost £100 - we can’t afford that.”

Thankfully, after a lot of patience washing her at home, most of the paint is now gone and the family’s cat has been able to go outside again.

The lady now hopes that the police will find whoever threw the firework and that the boys will realise the potential harm it could have caused to her family and their “terrified” animals.

The burned out firework casesThe burned out firework cases
The burned out firework cases

She said: “I want to know how a group of lads got hold of fireworks in the first place, and we able to use them in the middle of the day?

“They need taking down a peg or two. They were also lighting fireworks in Middle Green in broad daylight – parents and children might be around!”

A Bedfordshire Police spokeswoman said: “Officers investigated reports of fireworks being thrown into the garden of a property in Meadow Way, Leighton Buzzard on Tuesday, February 14.

“Unfortunately there were no witnesses to the incident and no known CCTV available, so the investigation is now closed pending further information coming to light. Anyone with any information is asked to call 101.”