Crackdown on illegal fireworks in NSW

The sale of illegal fireworks is being targeted by NSW authorities this Australia Day, less than a month after a man was killed attempting to light one on New Year's Eve.

Fireworks have killed three people in the state in the past two years according to Safework NSW, which has warned anyone caught selling the pyrotechnics could face $27,000 in fines or 12 months in jail.

Safework NSW executive director Peter Dunphy says authorities are monitoring Facebook and other social media sites for the illegal sale of fireworks ahead of the public holiday on Thursday.