Fireworks hotline gets over 2,000 complaints in one day

The annual hotline for reporting fireworks problems opened on Christmas day. By 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday, over 2,500 complaints were received.

The hotline is an initiative by 30 local GroenLinks factions, including those in Rotterdam, The Hague and Groningen. The hotline was first launched six years ago. GroenLinks uses complaints received to map areas where fireworks cause the most problems, and to support their call for banning consumer fireworks.

"We use the hotline to advocate locally for establishing firework-free zones in places with a great deal of nuisance", Arno Bonte, GroenLinks city councilor in Rotterdam, said to NOS. "And we use it as support for the plea of a nationwide ban on consumer fireworks. Instead we'd rather see a professional fireworks show in every municipality."

Last year the hotline, which can be found on Vuurwerkoverlast.nl, received some 48 thousand complaints.