它们被写入2010年8月烟火用品（安全）规章中，这是一项将欧盟的指令贯彻进英国法律的规定。
The original directive recommended the ban should only apply to anyone under 12, however the UK decided to go for the more draconian limit of 16.
原来的指令建议禁止向12岁以下购买者销售烟花，但英国决定将限制调至16岁。
Trading standards officers will be monitoring how retailers enforce the law. Cashiers have been told to check the age of any cracker shopper who looks under 16.
负责买卖标准的官员将会监测零销商们对这项法律的执行情况。收银员已经被告知核对任何看似低于16岁以下年龄的顾客。
Jane Bevis, of the BRC, said: ‘No one wants children to be able to buy things which are dangerous, but extending rules for fireworks to cover the kind of bang provided by a cracker seems particularly daft.
英国零销商协会的Jane Bevis说：“没有人希望孩子们买到一些危险的东西，但将这一类烟花写入法律看起来特别愚蠢。”
‘It’s vital there is a sensible attitude to enforcement until the Government can reverse this ludicrous restriction.’
“直到政府能扭转这类可笑的限制，才是对于执行理性的态度，这是至关重要的。”
The regulations add a fresh layer of bureaucracy to doing the shopping. Most retailers already challenge anyone who looks under 25 to prove their age if they are buying alcohol. Others restrict the sale of matches and glue.
这样的规章似乎是在人们购物上加了一层新的官僚作风。当消费者购买酒精类饮品时，大多数零售店都会让任何看似低于25岁以下的人证实他们的年龄。而其他的一些规定则限制买卖火柴和胶水。
The situation has reached the point where some adults carry their passports to cope with checks.
这样的情形已经达到了一些成年人必须随身携带他们护照的时候，从而应付这些检查。