A recent court judgment to revoke the permits of a fireworks factory in the limits of Mosta has rattled pyrotechnic enthusiasts and reignited a long standing debate on fireworks safety in Malta.

In a case going back 30 years, an Appeals Court upheld a judgment that had found that the Zebbiegh fireworks complex, which manufactures fireworks for the Feast of St Mary in Mosta, lacked the required 183-metre buffer zone from the closest roads. The case had originally been filed by a number of farmers whose fields are in the vicinity of the factory.

While the plaintiffs argued that the road was not a busy one, the courts found that the factory was still in breach of explosives laws.

Fireworks enthusiasts have now gone in panic mode because several other fireworks factories are close to roads that are used by farmers, and they fear that theirs could be closed down as well. If this were to happen, they say, one of the most popular Maltese traditions could die out.

While one would hope that this is not the end of the line for Maltese fireworks, finding a solution is not easy.

Fireworks are one of the things that truly make us Maltese. They bring colour and joy to every village feast but we often overlook the fact that, behind those bright and spectacular colours there are many, many months of hard work voluntary work - by enthusiasts who give their all for the Maltese festa.

Many people grumble and say that fireworks are a nuisance, that it is 'selfish' of these enthusiasts to close our roads so that they can let off their petards, beraq and blanen, but these same people are often among the first to gaze in amazement at the fruit of these enthusiasts' labour when the time comes for the village festa. We have to admit it - many of us are a bit hypocritical in that way.

But one must also acknowledge the genuine concerns of others who feel that their lives are being unnecessarily endangered by the proximity and number of these firework factories, which only seem to be increasing in numbers.

The country is unfortunately no stranger to fireworks tragedies, once even witnessing the destruction that accidental fireworks explosions can bring when the blast happens inside a residential community.

One cannot but feel for the residents of Gharb, who voted no to new fireworks factories in the nearby picturesque valley, which is already home to several pyrotechnic factories and which has also seen its fair share of tragedy. The interests and wellbeing of these residents, it seems, are being ignored by the authorities.

We agree that the fireworks tradition should be preserved but on the other hand it should not be turned into a money-making business, especially if this further compromises our safety.

We should not go over the top. Like with the construction sector, we should realise that we have a limit that has already been reached.

Enthusiasts often argue that this is simply a passion and a tradition, and for most of them it truly is.

So there should be agreement that there is no need to keep adding the number of fireworks factories in Malta. We already have enough to cater for the needs of our village festas and summer festivals.

Also, more efforts should be made to make the production of fireworks a safe practice not only for those manufacturing the murtali but also to those living in the surrounding communities.