Blitz survivors condemn sirens on Bonfire Night

Organisers of one of London's biggest bonfire night displays have been criticised for plans to recreate the Blitz.

Air raid sirens and fireworks will lend a wartime theme to the event at Victoria Park on November 7.

The night, called Remember, Remember, is to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Blitz.

It has been branded "distasteful" by survivors. Rene Broider, 89, took refuge in a shelter in Stoke Newington in 1940, yards from a church which suffered a direct hit. She said: "Every time I hear a siren, even to this day, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and instantly reminds me of that horrible time. When people talk about the camaraderie and the excitement of the time, they forget about the sheer terror of it all.

"I know so many people who died, soldiers and friends, and that is not something to be celebrated."

Steve Murray, of Tower Hamlets council, said: "We acknowledge the enormous impact of the Blitz on the landscape and communities of east London."