A mum-of-four's campaign to curb deafening round the clock firework noise during Diwali has been a success, she has claimed.
In recent years Meena Hans has dreaded the 'festival of light', which was celebrated last Tuesday by large parts of Hounslow's Asian community, because of inconsiderate firework use.
Earlier this year the fed-up adult eduction tutor decided to take action and launched a petition calling for action from Hounslow and Ealing councils.
And she this week insisted her petition and general campaign has really made a difference.
Meena, 45, of St Mary's Avenue, Norwood Green, said: "Since May I have gathered over 700 names on my petition who agreed that something had to be done about the out of control round the clock fireworks.
"Last year the celebrations carried on for the whole month, all hours of the day and night. It was like living in a war zone, with them going off at three or four in the morning."
Meena sent her petition to Ealing and Hounslow councils and, despite receiving nothing more than a letter of acknowledgement from Hounslow, she thinks her campaign has had a positive effect.
"It has been so much better this year, people seem to be stopping at about 1am," she said. "Ealing Council did lots of promotion after receiving my petition, making an announcent on Sunrise Radio and putting a two-page spread in the council magazine.
"I think because they have done so well in making people aware of the law, letting them know that they can be fined a substantial amount if they don't adhere to the rules, then this has transferred over to Hounslow.
"Having said all this though, I was woken up at 6.30 this morning by someone setting a firework off, you are always going to get the odd person that just doesnt care."
