Firework Thrown Through Loughborough Woman’s Bedroom Window — ‘We Could Have Died’

A Loughborough woman has told how she narrowly escaped serious injury after a firework was thrown through her bedroom window while she lay ill in bed — setting her curtains alight and forcing her to douse the flames with pans of water as those responsible laughed and ran.

Firework Hurled Through Bedroom Window at Loughborough Flat

The incident took place at approximately 6pm on Easter Monday, 6 April, at Highland Court on Fennel Street in Loughborough. The woman, who has asked not to be named, was resting at home due to illness when the firework was launched through her window. It travelled down the back of the bed and ignited the curtain — in the exact spot where her partner usually sleeps.

“I thought somebody had been hit by a car,” she said. “I turned my head, saw flickering lights and then realised what it was.”

It took three pans of water to extinguish the blaze. The curtain was destroyed and the windowsill charred. Had her partner been in bed at the time, she says, the consequences could have been fatal.

“It was pure luck my partner was not in, as it’s on their side of the bed. If they were in bed, they would have caught fire. It would have been awful. What if there was a cot there, or if it was an elderly person? I heard them laugh, but somebody could have been killed. We could have died if we were sleeping.“

She and her partner had lived at the property for ten months without incident before Easter Monday. Leicestershire’s criminal justice record has faced scrutiny before, but residents say incidents like this one expose a gap between official responses and the reality on the ground.

Leicestershire Police confirmed no arrests have been made. A force spokesperson said: “A report that a firework had been thrown through the bedroom window of a flat was received just after 6pm on Monday, April 6. The occupant of the flat put the fire out, and no injuries were reported. An investigation into the incident is continuing and no arrests have been made at this time. We would ask anyone with information to contact police, quoting reference 26*196451.”

Residents Divided on ASB in the Fennel Street Area

The incident has prompted residents in the nearby Southfield Park area to speak out — with opinions sharply divided about whether anti-social behaviour is a growing problem or an isolated incident.

Jean, 72, who has lived in the area since 1983, described the neighbourhood as pleasant and said she had no plans to change her habits. “Anti-social behaviour is minimal. It’s a nice area to live. I will still keep my windows open. I think it’s a one-off.”

Paul Blake, 77, a lifelong local, said problems had only emerged recently but remained relaxed about the area overall. “It’s only been a problem of late. It’s an ok area, the kids seem to be behaving on the whole.”

Others painted a more troubled picture. Jenny Bunker, 46, who lives a minute from the incident, pointed to problems in the local park and cemetery. “ASB is in the park and cemetery — there’s drug taking and that sort of thing. People have found needles in gardens. It’s a terrible incident, hopefully it’s kids being idiots.”

Jason Hull, 44, who has run Fennel Street Barbers for four years, said the street was normally quiet but the pictures of the damage had shocked him. “It’s very quiet around here. We have some issues with drug addicts in the park, but I haven’t seen any anti-social behaviour. It’s shocking to see the pictures. I will be closing my windows for a bit.”

The attack did not occur in isolation. Charnwood Police posted on Facebook on 9 April — just three days after the incident — stating that there had been “an increase in the reports of antisocial behaviour in Loughborough town centre.” No further details were given, but the timing is striking.

This Isn’t “Kids Being Idiots” — It’s a Near-Fatal Attack

Let’s dispense with the softening language. A firework thrown through a bedroom window where a person is sleeping is not a prank, not a bit of youthful stupidity, and not an isolated bit of mischief. It is a potentially lethal act. In east London in 2024, two teenagers threw a firework through a window and killed a 76-year-old widower. They were jailed. The mechanics of what happened on Fennel Street on Easter Monday were identical — the only difference was luck. The victim was not asleep. Her partner was not in bed. The curtain was closed. Three pans of water were enough.

Remove any one of those variables and you are writing a very different story.

It is understandable that long-established residents want to believe their street is safe, and that this was a one-off. Nobody wants to feel that their neighbourhood has deteriorated. But the pattern here deserves honest attention. Drug paraphernalia found in gardens. ASB in the local park and cemetery. Charnwood Police acknowledging a rise in town centre anti-social behaviour in the same week. A firework through a bedroom window with no arrests made six days later. These are not unrelated data points.

Leicestershire Police’s response — that “an investigation is continuing” — tells us nothing about urgency or resource. No arrests after nearly a week, despite a group of people laughing loudly enough to be clearly heard as they fled, in a residential street at 6pm. Easter Monday. Broad daylight. There will be CCTV. There will be witnesses. Whether those leads are being actively pursued, or whether this sits in a queue alongside dozens of other low-priority ASB reports, is a question someone should be asking.

Charnwood Borough Council and Leicestershire Police have tools available to them — community protection warnings, public spaces protection orders, hotspot patrols. The government’s anti-social behaviour action plan, updated in 2023, was explicit that ASB is not “low-level” crime and should not be treated as such. Whether that message has filtered down to how incidents like this one are actually handled in Loughborough is, to put it charitably, unclear.

The woman whose bedroom was set alight has already said everything that needs to be said. “These kids need to know it’s not harmless. Somebody could have been killed.” She should not have to say it twice. We will be following this story and keeping you updated on whether any arrests are made.

Have Your Say

Have you experienced anti-social behaviour in the Fennel Street or Southfield Park area? Do you think Leicestershire Police are doing enough? Leave a comment below — this community’s voice matters. Anyone with information about the Easter Monday incident should contact Leicestershire Police on 101, quoting reference 26*196451. You can also report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. And if you want to stay on top of crime and community news across Loughborough and Charnwood, sign up for our free local news updates.