POLICE yesterday revealed a haul of illegal fireworks found in an estate garage and warned the growing black market in fireworks could result in tragedy.

A total of 39 boxes of large fireworks, which police believe were being sold on the doorstep for £3.20 each, have been recovered from a garage on Stockton's Hardwick Estate.

The householder could be prosecuted by council trading standards officers for selling the fireworks without a licence.

This year, a number of councils across the region have tried to persuade licensed fireworks traders not to sell them until shortly before bonfire night and a Middlesbrough man has already been prosecuted for illegally selling fireworks.

Inspector Ian Garrett, of Cleveland Police, said keeping large quantities of fireworks in homes and garages was a major safety hazard.

He said the fireworks were often much larger than those remembered by adults from their youth.

"You have to be 18 to buy fireworks these days but these illegal traders will sell them to any child on the street," he said. "Illegal traders should be aware that you can be jailed for up to six months for this offence.

"Three or four years ago we never used to see this kind of problem with the fireworks black market. It has grown as people have realised they can buy them and make a profit and they just don't care about the safety side and the problems with any social behaviour."

Shop owner Pearl Hall, of South Bank, Middlesbrough, who is in her 80s, is campaigning for the sale of domestic fireworks to be banned altogether after pensioners were terrorised by youths throwing exploding crackers at them.