Moment truck full of fireworks explodes in front of crowds as New Forest man is fined £7000

• Watch the moment a defective firework lands on a truck full of fireworks causing a huge explosion at a display in Ringwood.

Footage has been released showing the moment a defective firework lands on a truck full of fireworks causing a huge explosion at a public display in the New Forest.

A man has been fined more than £7000 in connection with incident at the Ringwood Raceway in November 2021.

Craig Richard Robinson, 46, of Hurn Road in Ringwood was prosecuted by the county council after an explosion occurred at the display he organised.

Upto 2000 people were watching the display when a defective burning firework landed on a pile of unused fireworks - which were only protected by a thin sheet of plastic.

These were then ignited, causing a large explosion. Dorset Council officers said the fireworks should have been better protected, and although the explosion didn't cause any injuries, it did create a risk and fear of serious harm.

The council argued that the protection was inadequate and put people at risk of serious hard. It is now working with Mr. Robinson to improve his risk assessments.

In court, the defence stated that Dorset Council had conducted a thorough and robust investigation into the incident, and the evidence shown was compelling.

The prosecution was able to show widely circulated videos of the event before the sentencing, which included the fire in the van for which the defendant had pleaded guilty.

Mr. Robinson, who is the sole director of Ringwood Raceway Ltd, was sentenced to a fine of £3,780, plus a Victims Surcharge of £190 and court costs of £3,700. This totalled £7,670 which is to be paid by the defendant in monthly instalments of £500.

Dorset Council safety officers have since worked closely with Mr. Robinson to improve his risk assessment following the incident, meaning last year’s firework display was able to proceed with no safety issues.

Cllr Laura Beddow, Dorset Council’s Portfolio Holder for Culture, Communities and Customer Services: “I’m very pleased with the sentencing. It’s extremely fortunate that no-one was hurt during this distressing incident, but the risk and fear of harm caused could not be ignored or taken lightly.

"The appropriate measures were not taken by the organisers to prevent uncontrolled fire and explosions, and at a public event - especially one involving fireworks – this was unforgivable and deserving of further legal action.I want to thank the Dorset Council officers in our Food, Safety and Port Health, Trading Standards and Legal teams for their hard work on this case.

"Through their thorough and robust investigation and resulting prosecution, we’ve been able to demonstrate how seriously we take the safety of Dorset residents.”

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