Dog owners 'heartbroken' after pet died following beach walk where firework was set off nearby

Dog owners say they are heartbroken after their 'gentle' and 'affectionate' pet died following a walk on the beach where a firework was set off nearby.

Richard Rice, 32 was walking his dog, Rocky, along Swansea beach on November 8 when a loud rocket was set off by a group of people hidden from sight in the sand dunes.

The four-year-old lurcher was so terrified by the firework that he sprinted off and his owner lost sight of him.

Richard and his friends spent the evening and the early hours of the morning looking for the dog along the beach but could not find him in the darkness.

On Saturday morning, Richard received a phone call from someone who had found the dog dead on the beach.

The news follows recent reports that a family in Newport had their house torched and narrowly escaped themselves after fireworks were thrown near the back of their property.

Currently the law on fireworks states that it is an offence to throw, cast or fire any firework in a public place and that they are not to be set off between 11pm and 7am.

A UK-wide petition calling for the ban of fireworks from public sale has attracted over 300,000 signatures with many agreeing that they should be left to organised firework displays.