HAMBURG, Germany, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- German police said Sunday that they have seized 850 kg of fireworks stashed in a Hamburg apartment before the New Year festivities, media reported.
Police were tipped off by the neighbor of a 23-year-old man that he was stockpiling a large quantity of pyrotechnics, the AFP reported.
Officers found that his apartment, cellar and two vans were packed with fireworks, which contained around 80 kg of explosive substances, 80 times the legal limit for storage in a private home, the AFP added.
Setting off fireworks is a popular tradition on New Year's eve in Germany. Although sparklers and poppers can be bought all year round in the country, firecrackers and bottle rockets are only available for purchase on the last few days of a year, German business newspaper Handelsblatt said on its English website.
According to the German Pyrotechnic Industry Association, about 137 million euros' (about 157 million U.S. dollars') worth of fireworks were sold last year.
There were more than 800 firework-related eye injuries in Germany in each of the last two years, Bloomberg reported, quoting daily newspaper Der Tagesspiegel.
In addition to safety issues, air pollution caused by fireworks is another concern of the government.
According to estimates by Germany's Federal Environment Agency, around 4,500 tons of fine dust will be blown into the air all over Germany on New Year's eve. It called on people not to use fireworks to ring in 2019.
A recent online survey by polling institute Civey found that 60 percent of participants supported banning fireworks in city centers, German news agency dpa reported.
Still, more than 100,000 people are expected to ring in the New Year at the Brandenburg Gate, where fans will enjoy a professional pyrotechnic show at midnight.
