Colin wrote:
Coming back along the A30 this evening it was like a war-zone, with
Diwali fireworks all over the sky in the Cranford / Hatton /
Hounslow West area.
These pyrotechnics were exploding uncomfortably close to aircraft
on their decent to Heathrow, all around and even seemingly above
the aircraft.

Possibly true, but how do you know they were "uncomfortably close"?
Judging the relative positions of fireworks and aircraft in three
dimensions at night is difficult enough, but probably impossible if you
yourself are moving. It's very easy to misjudge completely the position
of a plane relative to the ground.

I know that aircraft landing is mainly automated, but surely this
activity is dangerous to aircraft safety as it can only serve to
distract pilots on final approach. Surely they could have banned
fireworks on aircraft approaches as part of the recent Fireworks
act.

It may have been contrary to CAA guidelines, as published at
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP736.PDF

Prosecution is not unknown, for example see
http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=132552006

--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)