ROME, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Police in Italy said they seized thousands of illegal fireworks across the country ahead of New Year's Eve celebrations.
The police sweeps came as numerous cities, including Milan, Palermo and Venice, have banned fireworks, Italy's ANSA news agency reported Friday.
Each year, fireworks cause numerous injuries, including burns and mutilations, Italian police say.
Police seized 4 tons of fireworks at a clandestine fireworks factory in Naples, where they arrested one man, and discovered another fireworks factory in Salerno whose owner was cited for breaking the law, ANSA said.
Another man was arrested for alleged possession of about 350 pounds of illegal fireworks at San Giorgio a Cremano outside Naples.
Authorities also said about 660 pounds of fireworks were found under stairs in a house in Lecce in Puglia and a couple were cited, while a toy shop owner in Castelfiorentino near Florence was cited for alleged possession of about 850 pounds of fireworks. And police reported a man was caught with about 1,200 pounds of illegal fireworks on a highway near Arezzo.
Most of the powerful and illegal fireworks seized by Italian police each year are made in China, ANSA said.
