A councillor has called for an urgent review of fireworks storage in the wake of the Shortgate disaster which claimed the lives of two firefighters.

Wealden councillor Jan Dunk said the council should introduce a policy to ensure that any site given permission to store fireworks is safely away from residential areas and buildings which store potentially dangerous materials.

She highlighted loopholes in current planning laws which could potentially allow fireworks to be stored anywhere.

Coun Dunk said: "At the moment when the nature of a business such as storing fireworks is known, it may be acceptable to grant planning permission under the rules but in reality it could be totally unacceptable.

"It is a recipe for disaster and one that Wealden should be able to prevent, but we do not have any policy to cover such issues. For example if an application for holiday lets is submitted and they are to be located near industrial units, although being totally unacceptable there are no planning grounds to prevent this.

"Imagine a firework storage unit next to a gas storage unit? Surely the council should be able to have some control over this. It is our role to ensure that in future we as a council are able to prevent this ever happening again."

East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service support officer Brian Wembridge and retained firefighter Geoff Wicker both died in the blaze at Festival Fireworks UK in Shortgate, near Lewes.

The tragedy began at 1.50pm on December 3 when two small explosions started a fire at the warehouse. Almost an hour later, when firefighters, police and paramedics were on the scene, the third explosion occurred, killing Mr Wembridge, 63, and Mr Wicker, 49.

The call comes just weeks after Brighton and Hove City councillor Brian Fitch said he had seen evidence since the disaster which suggested containers similar to the one at the centre of the third devastating blast are no longer safe to store fireworks. Coun Fitch raised fears that the containers were being used at three sites across Brighton and Hove.

Ian Kay, head of planning and building control for Wealden District Council said: "It is not possible for this council to introduce or adopt a new planning policy relating to applications seeking planning permission for the storage of fireworks.

"In many cases, the council is not always made aware by applicants of the nature of the goods intended to be stored within a building, and even if it was, this could change later on."

Mr Kay said the only site specifically permitted to store fireworks in the district is at Court Lodge Farm, Wartling, where planning permission for the stationing of 10 shipping containers for the benefit of 'Frontier Fireworks' was granted for two years in October, last year.

Wealdon is the largest district in East Sussex, and the authority covers Crowborough, Hailsham, Heathfield, Polegate and Uckfield as well as dozens of villages.

The Argus told last week how East Sussex Fire and Rescue were facing a £2.5 million shortfall after eight pumps, nine cars, three specialist appliances and hundreds of thousands of pounds in computer equipment were lost in the blaze.