Surrey County Council has removed 1,003 flags attached to its infrastructure, according to the council. The council warns that flags attached to lampposts without permission can pose a safety risk to drivers and pedestrians. Putting up flags on public highways without permission could be considered a criminal offense, the council states.
Shropshire Council will remove all unauthorized flags from its street lighting columns and other highway assets. The council's flag removal operation will initially start in Shrewsbury before expanding across the county. Shropshire Council's previous flag removal operation cost about £13,000, according to the council. The council removed flags in October last year after they became unsightly following Storm Amy, a spokesperson confirmed. Shropshire Council increased council tax by 9% at the start of the month to help balance its budget.
We will be removing all unauthorised flags from our street lighting columns and other highway assets. This will be in Shrewsbury initially with plans to remove all unauthorised flags across the county in time. This includes flags that are damaged or unsafe, creating a hazard, obstructing signs, posing risks following severe weather, installed without permission, regardless of condition.
Shropshire Council is aware of community tensions, including reports of abuse directed at residents, councillors, and staff, according to major media reports. The council is working with West Mercia Police regarding these community tensions. Shropshire Council is setting up a funding bid to create a positive alternative including a locally-designed flag involving young people, the council said. The council supports and does not prohibit residents from expressing British patriotism, and it recognizes the Union Jack as a recognized national emblem, according to its statements.
Activist groups on both sides of the flag debate have mobilized. Raise the Flags Shrewsbury Plus has raised over £6,000 on GoFundMe to stop the flags being torn down, the group said. The Northants Flagdowners group claims to have pulled down 1,000 Union Jacks and English flags from lampposts across Northamptonshire, according to major media reports. The Lower the Flags group has been cutting down some flags itself, the group confirmed.
The widespread flying of flags across the country started last year following an online movement called Operation Raise the Colours, according to multiple reports. Activists putting up flags say it is patriotic, while critics accuse them of sowing division amid heightened tensions over immigration, major media sources indicate. Some local authorities have branded the flag-flying intimidating and divisive, reports show. It remains unclear how many other councils across the UK are removing similar flags, and what specific safety incidents have been caused by the flags, as no detailed incidents have been confirmed by authorities.