EMERGENCY services on Merseyside last night hailed this year's Bonfire Night celebrations as the safest and most peaceful in twenty years.

In the four weeks leading up to Bonfire Night, Merseyside Police Service received 475 firework-related calls, compared to 2,214 last year.

Merseyside Fire Service attended a 589 nuisance fires, compared to 2,444 last year.

And the Army's bomb squad, based in Chester, this year spent 20 hours attending incidents in the region - compared to a staggering 702 hours last year.

Fire Service spokesman Alex McDougal said: "It has been an absolute triumph. I would say this has been the safest Bonfire Night in 20 years.

"Our challenge is to now keep it at this level for next year or even reduce it."

Senior police and fire officers launched a crackdown after residents' lives across the region were last year made a misery before and after November 5.

A huge influx of illegal pyrotechnics led to hundreds of incidents of youths intimidating people or causing criminal damage by throwing fireworks in the street.

Earlier this year, the police and fire service formed a joint Firework Incident Research and Safety Team.

The three-man team, headed up by firefighter Chris Case, seized 15 tonnes of illegal fireworks.

A total of eight people now face prosecution for allegedly illegally storing fireworks.

Firefighter Case said: "Last year we were a bit on the back-foot and reacting to incidents.

"Even I have been gobsmacked with how successful it's been this year. It's mainly been down to people calling Crimestoppers." Firefighter Case along with his colleagues, a forensic expert and police intelligence officer, inspected 50 premises suspected of illegally storing fireworks.

Merseyside Fire Service has also hailed the success of the Good Guy code, which is a voluntary agreement for shops to only sell fireworks in the two weeks before November 5 and only to adults.

This is the first Bonfire Night since the introduction of Fireworks Act 2003. The act bans anyone under the age of 18 from handling a firework in a public place and puts limits on the time of night when firework displays can be held.

Police have also this year been serving on-the-spot fines for anyone misusing fireworks. A total of 25% of all so-called fixed penalty notices served in Britain this year have been handed out on Merseyside.

Chief Supt Paul Forrester said: "It's a tribute to the partnership of police, fire service and trading standards.

"Hopefully the experience of people in Merseyside will have been more tranquil this year."

markhookham@dailypost.co.uk