News - 23/07/14

The flare amnesty devised by Ramora UK and Hampshire Constabulary has seen 5,000 flares already handed in and donations of more than £3,000 since it started in April of this year. 

There are a further two amnesties planned before the end of 2014 and an extra date has been added to coincide with Cowes Week: 

Friday, 1st August: 1100 – 1600 at Cowes Harbour Office car park, Town Quay PO31 7AS 

Download a PDF of the Cowes Week flare amnesty poster

750kg of explosives handed in to date
David Welch, Ramora UK’s Managing Director, commented: “Public safety is one of our primary concerns and we are delighted to be working closely with Hampshire Constabulary and the various ‘amnesty’ sites as part of this initiative.

“We have already recovered in excess of 5,000 flares, which equates to more than 750kg of explosives and we still have three more events left this year.”

Safe and compliant means of disposal
Sarah Thorpe, Hampshire Constabulary’s Energy and Environmental Compliance Advisor added: “These amnesties provide a safe and compliant way to dispose of flares; reducing the potential risks to both people and the environment through inappropriate and irresponsible disposal methods.

“I’m delighted that just half way through this series of amnesties we have removed such a large number of potentially dangerous flares from the public domain whilst at the same time raising money for a very worthwhile cause”.

Successful partnership
Ramora UK, one of the UK’s leading Bomb Disposal companies has joined forces with Hampshire Constabulary in providing a solution for the disposal of out of date marine pyrotechnics (Flares).

The purpose of the partnership is two-fold and alongside the removal of potentially lethal explosive items from the public domain, it is also hoped that donations received from those handing in their flares will be used to fund a dinghy for youngsters who would not normally have access to the water.

Sergeant Damon Kennard, Hampshire Constabulary Marine Unit, said: “The number of out of date flares handed in shows that this is a worthwhile public safety initiative and we are delighted to be working with Ramora UK. Our aim is to promote public safety whilst at the same time putting something back into youth activities in the form of a sailing dinghy for local sailing clubs.”