Venue apologises after 'excessive' fireworks display

5 hours ago

Stuart WoodwardEssex

News image — The fireworks display (not the one pictured) was heard by people in Witham, South Woodham Ferrers and Maldon

Stuart Woodward/BBC A fireworks display showing several exploding fireworks, in green and red, against a dark sky — The fireworks display (not the one pictured) was heard by people in Witham, South Woodham Ferrers and Maldon

A wedding venue has apologised to residents who complained that a fireworks display "like bombs being dropped" could be heard more than nine miles (15km) away.

The display took place at The Warren Estate at Woodham Walter, near Maldon, Essex, on Saturday evening, with a warning posted to residents on social media in advance.

But the venue said "the scale and level of noise was not what we had anticipated" and it "fully understands the frustration and upset caused within the local community".

It added that it would only permit light or drone displays for future bookings.

Residents commented on Facebook to say that the fireworks display was heard more than six miles away (9.8km) in South Woodham Ferrers, and more than nine miles (15km) away in St Lawrence.

One said the display was "excessively loud and disruptive", with another saying "it sounded like bombs were being dropped".

Other residents said the noise - which was also heard in Witham and Maldon - had disturbed their sleep and upset their animals.

The Warren Estate A notice from The Warren Estate, informing local residents of wedding firework displays which were scheduled to take place over the weekend — The venue shared a notice on social media in advance of the weekend's weddings, informing residents about the planned fireworks displays

On Sunday, a spokesperson for The Warren said they were "genuinely sorry to those whose evening was disrupted".

"We would like to sincerely apologise to everyone affected by the fireworks display at our venue last night," they added.

"Danbury and Maldon are our home too, and being part of these communities is something we value enormously. We never take that responsibility lightly and always aim to work positively within our local area."

A couple whose wedding celebrations took place the following night agreed for their fireworks "to be significantly reduced to a short, traditional five-minute display, which will not be on the scale of [Saturday] night's", they added.

"Looking ahead, we have also made the decision that new bookings for celebrations at the venue will only permit light or drone displays to ensure there is no further disruption to our surrounding community," the spokesperson said.

They said any current bookings "will be dealt with on an individual basis".

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