West Lothian youths in Bonfire Night 'war zone' village praised after incident-free event

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Youngsters in a community once branded a "war zone" over Bonfire Night disorder have been praised after this year's events passed without incident.

The chairperson of the Blackburn Bonfire Night Action Group heaped praise on young people in the village following this year's event.

The action group was set up in 2019 following a surge in anti-social behaviour in the village the year before. Alison Kerr said: " I think we are quick to criticise but slow to say 'well done' especially to our young people." There were several incidents reported around West Lothian on Bonfire Night itself and one person was reported vandalism of a fire engine vehicle in Blackridge, while in Edinburgh riot police were deployed in some areas to control an outbreak of firework related violence.

But there were no incidents of disorder in Blackburn. After the problems in 2018, villagers were encouraged to take a stand against firework thugs and report anti-social behaviour to the police.