In a little over a week from now many households will have the uncomfortable and worrying need to deal with frightened animals and domestic pets yet again.

It is only a few years ago that a household the other side of the motorway from where we live had a firework party of such ferocity that all our animals were driven to distraction (along with us it has to be said).

We had some rescue goats back then and they all broke out of their pens and were charging around terrified in their desire to get away from the noise.

The horses were trying to break out of their stables and the dogs were howling and trying to run away.

Fireworks for domestic use do not need to have loud bangs and screeches associated with the undeniably exciting light display they create.

All the jumping jacks and thunder crackers of my childhood have been removed from retail shops for reasons of safety, after scores of children were routinely injured year on year.

But the airborne rockets are still accompanied by sometimes unbearably loud explosions that terrify animals and domestic pets and the time has surely come when those kind of explosives should be reserved for professionally run events in areas where the danger and potential to upset pets and wildlife can be minimised.

The annual New Year’s Eve display in London is an example. It is professionally run and its location is known and manageable.

I was away last week but at my home our animals were unexpectedly apparently driven into panic and chaos by the celebration of Diwali (presumably) on two successive nights in the vicinity.

We were completely unprepared and such was the distress caused to dogs, horses and cats alike that we have had to buy suitable medication and stress reducing jackets for some of them in the build up to Guy Fawkes next week.

And as different people celebrate this rather sombre event on different nights, it can be sometimes a week when any night can erupt into world war three at any time.

Farmers will lose animals that panic and injure themselves. Is it perhaps time for us to consider allowing only the sale of low level noise free fireworks to retail customers and leaving the explosive and screeching ones for use only by licensed professionals?