The annual event, organised and run by volunteers of the Carnoustie Coastguard Association, has been a fixture on the calendar for over 25 years.

However, rising costs for fireworks and the necessary public liability insurance, plus a poor return from collection buckets, have left the organisers fearing for the event's long term future.

This year's display is arranged for November 1, and is likely to go ahead thanks to cash raised over the past year. But with costs continuing to escalate next year's event is uncertain.

It very much depends on the volume of donations raised from November's display.

One of the organisers behind the event, John Jeffrey, explained: "Many people don't realise that this is not a council-run event and is completely dependent on the money people donate. In past years the money collected on the night nowhere near matched the crowd numbers.

"We have been able to raise enough to just about cover the costs incurred, but this year the cost of the fireworks has already gone up by 30 per cent and we don't have a quote for insurance yet."

He added: "There are serious concerns that we won't be able to continue the event purely on cost reasons. Although people can be generous in their donations, it would appear that a 40 per cent of the crowd are subsidising the other 60 per cent."

The Carnoustie Coastguard Association has been prolific in their recent fund-raising activities and, to that end, Mr Jeffrey, along with three colleagues from the association, took part in the Claverhouse Rotary Club Dundee Cyclathon on Sunday.

Mr Jeffrey, Doug Findlay, Calum McNicol and associate member Ally Reid tackled the 26-mile green route around Dundee, starting and finishing at Camperdown Park.

All four had been sponsored by family and friends raising over £500 which will go directly to the display fund.