German police seize 850kg firework stash

BERLIN: German police said Sunday they confiscated 850 kilos of fireworks and firecrackers from a 23-year-old man in Hamburg, ahead of New Year's festivities.

Police were tipped off by the man's neighbour that he was stockpiling a large quantity of pyrotechnics.

Officers descending on the man's home found the fireworks packed into his apartment, cellar and two vans, a police spokeswoman told national news agency DPA. The pyrotechnics contained around 80 kilos of explosive substances -- 80 times over the limit of fireworks that can be legally stored in a private home.

Fireworks and rockets are an essential part of New Year's festivities in Germany, with revellers firing off huge amounts of pyrotechnics from balconies or their lawns.

They are sold on the last three days of the year, with people in Germany spending 137 million euros ($156 million) on them last year.