The petition suggests that the flags should be removed on safety grounds, arguing that they were hung using nylon ties that degrade in sunlight and are now hanging on by a thread. Howard Beaumont claimed that, in some cases, the flags have fallen off near carriageways or fallen down the lampposts, obscuring road safety signs. The petition added that residents have been putting themselves and others in danger by removing flags themselves, with photographic evidence of such removals supplied to Councillor Mark Platt.
The petition calls for Essex County Council to prosecute any known individuals who placed these flags, or attempt to do so in the future, to recover the council's cost of removal. It states that placement of flags without consent is in breach of section 132 of the Highways Act 1980. In a related political context, shortly before his election as the leader of the Greens, Zack Polanski told the BBC that he would not personally display a St.
George's flag outside of a football tournament. In September, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said there is a struggle in this country between patriots who care about our country and populists who only care about themselves. It remains unclear what specific flags are being referred to in the petition, and Essex County Council has not yet responded or taken action.
The exact nature of safety incidents caused by the flags and who placed them initially are also unknown, as is the total number of flags currently on lampposts in Essex.