Flares 'shot into baby's pram' in cricket club fireworks display gone wrong

04 November 2023 , 15:39

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Flares 'shot into baby's pram' in cricket club fireworks display gone wrong

Footage shows the horrifying moment fireworks were launched into a crowd of families leaving several injured.

The catastrophe unfolded when fireworks were mistakenly fired at a display at Stone Swynnerton Park Cricket Club in Stone, Staffordshire, on Friday night. Flares hit a baby's pram in the chaos, while six people are thought to have been hit.

Medics on hand for the event treated people for burns and blisters after the fireworks were wrongly misfired. One witness told how the mother of the baby meanwhile quickly threw her hands out to protect the youngster.

One reveller at the event told StokeonTrentLive : "A firework went off into the crowd and a load of people ran away. I heard an announcement made that they were asking for a first aider and I was told that six people were hit by fireworks. The fireworks later resumed."

One mum had to shield her baby from the flares (SWNS)

Several children and adults are reported to have been injured (SWNS)

One terrified dad attending the display added: "It hit the family standing right beside us. We felt the heat as it came into us. My son's hood is singed." The fireworks continued after those hit were treated. Onlooker Flora Byatt said a call was put out on a public address system asking for a first aider and then, after a pause, the fireworks resumed.

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An injured person on a stretcher after the firework display at Stone Swynnerton Park Cricket Club, in Stone, Staffordshire (SWNS)

Police said they were not called (SWNS)

She said: "A firework went off into the crowd and a load of people ran away. I heard an announcement made that they were asking for a first aider and I was told that six people were hit by fireworks. The fireworks later resumed."

On-site medics treated six people for burns and blisters (Stoke Sentinel/BPM Media)

Commenting on a Facebook page, one stunned guest said: "It came right at myself, my two children and my other half, I had to throw my daughter. We left after it happened, hope everyone else was okay." The event at the club was billed online as a 'Fireworks Extravaganza' in association with local firm Monumental Fireworks, with punters charged £5 entry.

Stone Swynnerton Park Cricket Club said a 'briefing' was taking place and no one was available for comment. Staffordshire Police has confirmed it was not called to the incident. Fire and ambulance services were also contacted for comment.

Susie Beever