NORTH Lanarkshire Council has announced that they have cancelled this year's firework display at Strathclyde Country Park. 

Council bosses have made the difficult decision to cancel the event, with ongoing uncertainty over coronavirus restrictions the main factor. 

The event, which was last staged in 2019 after it was also cancelled last year due to coronavirus concerns, would normally welcome thousands of people to Strathclyde Country Park in Motherwell.

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In a statement, North Lanarkshire Council said: "Understandably, people will be disappointed as it’s an event which people enjoy attending each year.

"However, we are currently in Level 2 restrictions and although we anticipate moving to Level 0 at some point in the future, we are aware that Covid-19 is still very much with us and in line with government guidance, we are continuing to take a cautious approach to events that attract large crowds.

"Although government guidance is currently being reviewed and updated for outdoor events, planning for this type of large-scale event would need to have been well underway.  

"Thousands of people attend our fireworks event and a current assessment highlights that we would be unable to put in place safeguards such as ticketing, controlled entry and exit points, sanitisation points and Test and Trace contact collection due to the dispersed nature of the crowd. In addition, being an evening event and its complex location, it would be challenging to control numbers gathering at the park.

"The safety of our residents and staff is paramount and taking into account this and the current uncertainty around Covid-19, we have decided to postpone this event.

"We do look forward to planning a superb event in 2022 for everyone to enjoy."