AN ELDERLY couple are calling for tighter controls on fireworks after a metal-tipped 4ft-long rocket smashed into their front porch and broke through two layers of plastic.

The monster firework hit at around 9.30pm, when Arthur Biggs is normally putting out the empty milk bottles outside their Bournemouth home.

It was two nights after Guy Fawkes night, and with fireworks still being let off around the town almost a week later the couple say people should stick to November 5 as the night for firing fireworks.

"There was a terrific explosion. We didn't come out to see it until the next morning," said Joyce Biggs.

"Normally my husband is putting the milk bottles out. It could have killed him if it had hit him on the head."

The metal casing of the rocket weighed around half a pound and smashed a deep hole in the plastic surround of the couple's recently installed £4,000 porch.

"These fireworks should not be used in a residential area. It is beyond a joke. It could have done a lot of damage, it must be illegal to use them in residential areas," said Mrs Biggs, of Delamere Gardens, Redhill.

"They shouldn't let fireworks off after Bonfire night."

It is the first serious report of possible firework misuse in the borough which Bournemouth Trading Standards manager Paul Walker has heard about this year.

He said the weight of firework debris allowed to fall from the sky is covered by a British standard.

"We would be interested in looking at this debris to see if it complies or not," said Mr Walker.

A change in the law, and a clampdown locally, has made it virtually impossible for members of the public to get hold of larger, so-called "professional fireworks".

Mr Walker said: "We have no evidence of the unauthorised use of professional fireworks by individuals.

"Shop fireworks would not cause a great deal of damage. If this firework has been heavy enough to penetrate a conservatory then it sounds like it is a professional firework."

He added: "There is nothing legally we can do about people letting off fireworks after November 5. There is a gentlemen's agreement with retailers only to sell them for the three weeks up to Guy Fawkes Night.

"But people can keep them at home longer, although this is a dangerous thing to do. And police may become involved if damage is caused."