BONFIRE Night in York was a shameful exhibition of selfishness and ignorance.

There is nothing wrong with pretty lighting effects, and responsibly-designed fireworks provide these with minimal noise.

But the shattering detonations on Friday sounded like heavy mortar fire, and they shook our house to its foundations.

For over five hideous hours, massive explosions erupted non-stop from backyards and gardens right across York, and a mob of so-called adults in their 30s and 40s (with no child in sight) took over the Millennium Bridge and the riverbanks, and proceeded to shock, terrify, and deafen the wildfowl, songbirds, bats, hedgehogs, squirrels, and all the rest of the riverside and Rowntree Park wildlife.

These creatures have acutely sensitive hearing, and extremely small ear-drums which are easily broken. Where were they supposed to flee to?

And where were the police, including the specialist police wildlife officers, during all this? Presumably so frightened of being branded as killjoys that they were hiding in a back room at Fulford Road with their radios turned off.

As a result, large numbers of animals and birds will be deaf for the rest of their lives.

Mark Grahame,

Trafalgar Street,

South Bank,

York.

Updated: 09:48 Wednesday, November 10, 2004