Gatevale Services Limited, who operate storage premises at the Oakenclough Mill, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to an offence under Health and Safety Regulations after 25 pallets of live fireworks were found there in February 2007.
Fleetwood magistrates heard how the fireworks – which contained nearly two tonnes of explosive material – were found during an inspection by Lancashire trading standards officers.
Under health and safety rules businesses storing fireworks must register with their local authority and, for larger quantities, obtain an explosives licence so that checks can be carried out at the premises to ensure they are safe.
But the court was told that, in this case, even if the Company had applied for a licence, it would have been refused due to the close proximity of other businesses and residential properties.
The company told magistrates that an employee had accepted the fireworks a week or so earlier after a consignment had been mistakenly delivered. They said that all the fireworks had been removed within 48 hours of trading standard's visit and that new procedures had been introduced to prevent the same thing happening again in future.
The offence, which was brought under the Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations 2005, resulted in a fine of £1,500 and court costs of £608.