China warns of dodgy fireworks before holiday

BEIJING, Jan 18 (Reuters) Thirty per cent of firecrackers sold in China are substandard, Xinhua news agency has said a month before the Chinese New Year holiday which is enthusiastically observed across the country with fireworks.

China reports hundreds of fireworks accidents every year with 445 deaths a year on average, Xinhua said, without specifically linking the casualties to poorly made fireworks.

''The administration urged consumers to check the origin of the products, ensure there are no cracks and that the fuse is long enough,'' it said.

Explosions at a firecracker company in the central province of Henan killed 36 people celebrating the first day of the Lunar New Year in 2006.

China lifted a 12-year ban on fireworks in Beijing last year when the municipal government allowed the sale of 600,000 boxes of firecrackers.

The latest inspection involved 254 kinds of fireworks and crackers manufactured by 234 firms.

''The quality of China's fireworks and crackers has improved a lot on the whole, but problems remain prominent with some small manufacturers,'' Xinhua said, quoting the report from the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

The Lunar New Year begins on February 18.

REUTERS SP KP1125