Up until mid-2017 it was common to see fireworks on sale with BS (British Standards) warning labels on. However, it is now illegal for a fireworks retailer to sell fireworks that are classified under this system as it has been completely phased out after a wind-down period of several years.
Under BS, fireworks were classified as either Garden Fireworks with a 5m safety distance, or Display Fireworks with a 25m safety distance. There was no middle ground here, all fireworks were either 5m or 25m.
Whilst it is a matter of opinion, it is generally accepted that CE fireworks offer better performance at their respective viewing distances and the return to more powerful fireworks that successive BS iterations had watered down.
Although CE is an EU-wide classification, the UK government has still insisted that various fireworks that our European friends enjoy are still banned in the UK. That includes aerial shells, bangers, screech rockets and airbombs.
At the time of writing (2020) it is unclear what the implications of Brexit are on all of this. Members of the fireworks industry have indicated that they will be working towards a replacement in time, but until then, CE will remain in place. We’ll update this article if we learn of any news.