The New Year’s Eve is only two months away, but one after the other fireworks blast has been heard in the Bossche district of Maaspoort for weeks. Local residents are more than fed up. “It hits every day from October to March. I don’t dare go outside at night and my dog is shivering by the kitchen door with fear,” says one resident who wishes to remain anonymous.
For weeks, residents of the Maaspoort have been bothered by the fireworks that are set off every day in their neighborhood. “And it’s only October,” says a man who lives in the Maaspoort. “When I was downstairs watching TV late at night, I heard extremely loud bangs.”
Another resident, who wishes to remain anonymous because he is afraid of reprisals, is regularly woken up by the bangs. “I often have to get out of bed early for my volunteer work. If I wake up again from the loud bangs, I’ll be cursing and ranting in bed.”
And pets are also affected by the bangs. “My two dogs have been under stress for months. They walk nervously through the house and look anxiously outside,” says the man who lives a few blocks away. “My dogs hardly dare go outside at night when I have to walk them.”
“Those nitrates, like Cobras, are life-threatening.”
The problem has been going on for years and is only getting worse. “A group of young people has been causing fireworks nuisance for at least four years. I’m afraid things will go really wrong. Or residents will take matters into their own hands to stop this.”
The fireworks are also becoming heavier and more illegal. It is not about firecrackers or decorative fireworks, but about nitrates. A neighbor knows this because he is a member of a shooting sports club.
“I know the difference between legal and illegal fireworks very well. I can hear that from the heavy blow of the gunpowder,” he says. “Those nitrates, such as Cobras, are life-threatening. If they light those things near our house, the coffee cups on the table rattle.”
“A brick was thrown through my neighbor’s window as revenge.”
Residents regularly call the police to make a report. Without result. And many residents do not dare to address the perpetrators themselves. “I live near the Noorderplas, a dark park that you don’t like at night. When I hear bangs, I don’t dare go outside. I don’t know who or what I’m going to find.”
And for those who dare, it can have major consequences. “A brick was thrown through my neighbor’s window, presumably as revenge. That evening he had addressed a group of young people who set off illegal fireworks,” says another resident of Bossche.
“We have already had 93 reports of fireworks nuisance since the beginning of October.”
Last New Year, the neighborhood council opened a hotline. That will be inundated with notifications from the beginning of this month. “We’ve already had 93 reports and new ones are added every day,” said Chris Lampe, district council president. “The problem occurs throughout Den Bosch, but it is very serious in the Maaspoort.”
The district council has now consulted with, among others, the community police officers, the municipality and youth workers. “We can never completely solve the problem. But we will at least take steps to limit the nuisance.”
The chairman is not yet able to say exactly what those steps are. “We want to at least make the perpetrators realize what they are doing to families and pets.”
