By Karim Hammam
Health leaders have issued a fireworks safety warning after NHS England data revealed a sharp rise in hospital admissions for burns and injuries related to fireworks. The caution follows the case of a 17-year-old who lost his left eye in an accident last November.
Teenager Suffers Life-Changing Injuries
Aleks Stasiukiewicz, from Hartlepool, was attending an organized fireworks display at a local rugby club in November 2024 when he attempted to relight a firework that had failed to ignite. It exploded instantly, knocking him to the ground and causing catastrophic damage to his left eye and eyelid.
Surgeons at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough removed firework fragments and inserted a spherical prosthesis to replicate natural eye movement. His mother, Julie, described seeing her son's eye "leak down the side of his face" as he lay in the ambulance.
NHS Figures Show Increase in Admissions
NHS England figures show 85 people were admitted to hospitals in England in November 2025 for fireworks-related injuries, up from 60 the previous year. Total admissions for 2025 reached 161, compared with 120 in the preceding 12 months.
Safety Bodies Urge Caution
Professor Frankie Swords, NHS medical director, said Bonfire Night should be a time for family and friends but warned that children often pay the price when things go wrong. She urged close supervision and noted the NHS is available 24/7 for emergencies.
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa) recommended attending professionally organized public displays. Senior policy manager Becky Guy said the increase in child admissions is particularly worrying and emphasized that fireworks are not toys. She advised following the firework code for home use, including buying from reputable retailers, lighting one at a time at arm's length, and never returning to a lit firework.
Previous Cases Highlight Dangers
In 2022, eight-year-old Riley Luke from Paisley lost four fingers and part of his hand after a firework he was holding exploded. His father said the firework stuck to his hand before detonating. Clinical nurse specialist Anna Baker warned that sparklers can reach 4,000 degrees and are a common cause of injuries.
