RESIDENTS are being warned to "Get Wise" or "Get Hurt" for bonfire night.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service is issuing advice on how to avoid injury from fireworks and bonfires.

This year sees the introduction of new laws to crack down on anti-social behaviour related to fireworks. It is now illegal to let off fireworks between the hours of 11pm and 7am, except for special occasions such as November 5 when the curfew will begin at midnight.

Diwali, the Chinese New Year and New Year's Eve will also see the curfew extended, from 11pm to 1am.

County Fire Officer Barry Dixon said: "All fireworks must be handled with care and their use should be confined to supervised displays."

The fire service's advice is:

l Fireworks should not be sold to anyone under the age of 18.

l Attend organised displays.

l Buy fireworks marked BS7114 and keep them in a closed metal box.

l Follow the instructions on each firework.

l Keep a bucket of water nearby if you are setting off fireworks in your garden.

l Never throw fireworks.

l Keep pets indoors.

Last year, between September 1 and November 9, the county fire service attended 628 bonfire-related incidents - an increase of 247 on the previous year. Bury fire crews dealt with 26 bonfire incidents compared to 18 in 2002. The rise was attributed to the unusually dry weather in late October.

Despite an increase on 2002 figures they were still far less than the 1,177 incidents in 2001.