THE organisers of a Christmas Festival where rockets flew towards terrified children say fireworks were accidentally placed sideways.

Police said around five people were injured when five or six rockets exploded over hundreds of people in Blandford’s Market Square. They were being set off from the top of a scaffolding tower at the rear of the Corn Exchange.

The Rev Tim Storey, from the Yuletide Festival organising committee, said there was an investigation by North Dorset District Council, Dorset Police and trading standards.

He said because it was a community event, the Health and Safety Act did not apply. And he said the organisers had carried out a risk assessment and used suitable fireworks.

But he added: “It appears that the main cause was ambiguous instructions on the firework box leading to it being placed incorrectly, resulting in the fireworks firing to the side rather than in a vertical direction. Dorset Trading Standards are to discuss the potential misinterpretation of the ambiguous instructions with the manufacturers.”

Mr Storey said the festival committee would seek additional advice during planning for the next event.

Most of the rockets went straight into a wall, according to Dorset Police, but five or six flew into a crowd of spectators.

Around four people were treated at the scene for minor burns and eye injuries by first aiders.

Blandford mum-of-three Abbey Withers, 33, said her pushchair was burnt and her youngest child, Cara, then aged one, was struck in the face.

She said yesterday: “It’s still not good enough, to be honest.

“If you are not 100 per cent about the instructions then you don’t set them off above 4,000 people.”

She said the fireworks hit a Christmas tree, a police car and two canopies of the stalls, and it was only her children’s warm clothing that stopped them getting worse injuries.

Mr Storey said the festival had been a “great success” before the accident and thanked the volunteers, especially the members of the St John Ambulance.

He added: “There clearly will be lessons to learn to make sure that a similar incident does not occur at future events.”

This was the second Blandford Yuletide Festival.