Man injured by unexploded firework in Pontefract

Police confirmed that they had been called to Pontefract Racecourse at about 1.16pm on Sunday, November 4 after a caller reported her husband had received a hand injury from an item they had found.

Officers attended the scene and determined that the man had picked up an unexploded firework which went off in his hand.

A widely shared Facebook post about the incident mistakenly suggested that an explosive device had been found at Pontefract Park.

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: “Police attended at Pontefract Racecourse on Sunday afternoon to a report of a man suffering cuts to his hands from what was later determined to be a ball firework.

“Officers made a search of the area but did not find any unused fireworks present.”