Mary Fox death sparks call to review fireworks sales

The death of a woman after a firework was put through her letterbox shows rockets should not be sold over the counter, a councillor has said.

Mary Fox, 59, died in a fire in Bodmin, Cornwall, on Bonfire Night.

Owen Hewitt, 18, Samual Luckes, 17, and Ryan Croft, 18, all from Bodmin, were detained on Friday for manslaughter and arson.

Community safety member Lance Kennedy said the law surrounding the retail sale of fireworks should be reviewed.

He told BBC News it should not be easy to purchase something which was so potentially dangerous.

"If you went out now to try and buy £10 worth of black powder [gunpowder] you'd need a licence to do it," he said.

"Yet we can have youths roaming the streets with £167 worth of fireworks without any control."

Mr Kennedy said the question was about whether fireworks should be sold in shops at all or restricted to organised events.

Mrs Fox died in her home after being overcome by fumes and smoke from the firework which had set alight a large amount of clutter in her hallway.

Her 17-year-old son Raum managed to escape from the blaze by jumping from a first-floor bedroom window.

During the trial of the three teenagers, the jury at Truro Crown Court was told both Mrs Fox and her son had been harassed and bullied by local youths who live in the area.

Hewitt and Luckes, who had denied the charges, were each sentenced to seven years youth detention. Croft was sentenced to five years - he had pleaded guilty in February.