Putting flags on public lampposts could land you in jail

People who fly flags on lampposts or other public property could face prison under crackdowns being considered by councils.

Bristol City Council is one of several local authorities considering a High Court injunction to prohibit flags being placed on public furniture.

The council has revealed it has spent £50,000 on removing flags across the city, with the practice becoming more popular since mid-2025.

It follows a move by Oxfordshire County Council, which was granted an injunction in July that prevents anyone from placing flags on or near public highways.

Breaching this order can lead to imprisonment, a fine, or the seizure of assets.

Bristol Lib Dem councillor Stephen Williams told the council’s public health and communities committee, which he chairs: “Unfortunately we’re in a situation where our highways contractors have taken down hundreds of flags, they pretty soon go up again, so we’re in a cat-and-mouse situation.

“There is divided opinion about the meaning of people putting up flags on council lamp-posts or railings.”

Earlier in September, Birmingham City Council applied to the High Court for an injunction to prevent people from attaching flags to street furniture without authorisation.

In a release on the decision, the authority said: “Unauthorised attachments to street furniture can create highway safety risks, obstruct visibility and interfere with highway assets. They can also contribute to tensions and disorder.”

The council added the decision also comes after reports of incidents involving alleged intimidation and harassment of workers who are tasked with removing the flags.

Birmingham council reportedly faces a £2.6m cost in removing 20,000 flags from street lampposts across the city.

Several other local councils have introduced policies to remove unauthorised flags promptly, in some cases saying that the cost of this will be recovered from the individuals who placed them.

Somerset council says the removal of flags has cost more than £2,900 in the year to August 2026. A spokesperson said the authority would look at “recovering costs for removal from those responsible”.

“It's important to remember that many residents do not support these unauthorised public displays,” they told the BBC.

“If we want Somerset to remain a welcoming and vibrant place then we need to ensure flags are used to foster belonging, not division.”

The practice of attaching St George’s flags to public property became a widespread trend in July and August 2025.

It has since been popularised and organised by grassroots movement Raise the Colours, whose mission statement is to “cover Britain in flags” in a show of national pride and patriotism.

The issue has become politically contentious, with campaign groups like Hope Not Hate claiming the practice has been taken over by far-right figures intent on intimidating minority ethnic communities.