Hundreds huddle around virtual bonfire

Officials at Ilfracombe Rugby Club haven't held a bonfire night for four years - after being put off by the mountain of paperwork and regulations set by council chiefs.

But this year they opted to show a FILM of the blaze instead to get round the strict rules surrounding the lighting of fires at public events.

Recorded images of a roaring real fire were projected onto a 16ft by 12ft screen mounted on a scaffolding stand - at a cost of £300.

Organisers even used giant heaters, lighting and a smoke machine to give the crowd the taste of a real bonfire night.

The sound of crackling wood was also broadcast on loudspeakers and £2,500 fireworks were fired into the air.

Around 2,000 people turned up and paid £2 a ticket to wave sparklers and munch hot dogs in front of the UK's first ever virtual bonfire. Club president Paul Crabb, of Ilfracombe, Devon, said the night was "twice the fun with half the hassle".

Paul, 38, said: "We always used to have a bonfire but in the end it got too much. We were expected to fill out form after form.

"The number of bits of paper you have to wade through to hold a bonfire is just insane.

"I thought the idea was to light a fire and have a laugh - but the council are all 'risk assessment' and 'liability'. All the fun went out of it.

"But by using a bit of technology and improvisation we cut the headache out. We think we came up with an innovative solution to the health and safety nightmare - even if it does sound a bit odd. It was certainly a lot simpler.

"Everybody had a great time." Local resident Jon Powell, 36, and wife Clair 34, took their children, Amy, seven, and James, two, to see the show.

Clair said: "This was certainly a bonfire for the 21st century.

"Goodness knows what our ancestors would think if they saw us all crowded around a picture of a bonfire instead of a real one. They would probably think we were crazy. But it was actually brilliant fun.

"Not quite the real thing and there was no Guy Fawkes. But the kids loved it - it was like going out and watching television at the same time." The idea was hatched after rugby club officials started to wade through the mountain of health and safety paperwork needed to hold the event.

Officials at North Devon District Council, which owns the rugby club land, have cracked down on safety rules after yobs hurled fireworks onto a nearby football club bonfire four years ago.

Under the new regime the club would be required to hire five qualified fire marshals, recruit dozens of volunteers to watch over the 2,000-strong crowd and fix metal barricades around the fire to keep people at a safe distance.

The organisers of the non-fire night built a fire on private earlier this week and Ilfracombe rugby player Joel Cooper, 25, and his 22-year-old brother Leo, recorded it with a video camera. Joel said: "I think it was a brilliant idea. The health and safety stuff was a real pain.

"We used to have the bonfire on the pitch so we have the added advantage of a clear ground for the next game." A spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive said: "It sounds like a sensible precaution."

A spokesman for North Devon District Council declined to comment but said the rugby club had not been in contact this year.