Investigators Seize Fireworks Being Sold Illegally From U.K. Self-Storage Facility

Investigators in Kent, England, have seized 23 boxes of fireworks that were being sold illegally from a self-storage unit. The boxes contained about 50 kilograms of gunpowder and retailed for between £300 and £500. The owners of the storage facility said they had been asked to insure the contents for £11,000.

The joint investigation was conducted by Kent County Council Trading Standards and Kent police. Lawful sale of fireworks in the area is between Oct. 15 and Nov. 11, but investigators said the storing conditions at the self-storage facility were unsafe.

"To picture that amount of explosive, that's two wholesale-size sacks of potatoes of pure gunpowder; which would make a fairly significant explosion, said Trading Standards manager Mark Rolfe. "The storage conditions were totally unsafe with standard electrical fittings running above the fireworks. The expert advice we have been given is that one spark from a failing fluorescent tube could have destroyed the building."

The fireworks were being sold through a Facebook account. A 34-year-old male suspect has been questioned in the case, but the investigation is ongoing.

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