REMEMBER remember the fifth of November - well, who in York could forget it.

Last year's fireworks night should have been the most memorable the city had seen. It marked the 400th anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot and a big party was staged in honour of Guy Fawkes, one of the most infamous sons of York.

In the event, the night was a disappointment to many people who ended up missing the colourful pyrotechnics. The fireworks were let off from a secret location - so secret that thousands of people failed to see a thing.

Frustrated revellers at sites throughout the centre of York, including those gathered at York Minster, surged off in search of the clandestine display.

The fireworks may have been missed by many on the night, but another sort of fireworks continued to go off for weeks afterwards. And now a fuller picture of what happened on that blundering bonfire night is emerging, thanks to this newspaper's use of the new Freedom of Information Act.

Explosive documents obtained by the Press reveal a high-level shambles, with City of York Council seemingly ignoring advice from the police. Even one of its own chiefs raised concerns.

Thanks to the safety implications of the "secret" fireworks display, and the worries over what could have happened when frustrated spectators moved en masse to seek out a better view, this freshly revealed information is very much in the public interest.

The Government now seems to be cooling on its desire to provide open information - but without the Freedom of Information Act, much of importance to the general public would remain hidden.

Updated: 10:33 Wednesday, January 04, 2006