'Aggressive behaviour' against flag removal teams

Council officers have "encountered aggressive behaviour" while removing flags from lampposts, a local authority has said.

Oxfordshire County Council said its teams had "occasionally" experienced issues from a "small number of individuals".

One Liberal Democrat councillor, who did not want to be named, said this had led to officers working in balaclavas at night to remove the flags out of a "fear of reprisal".

It comes as the council confirmed it has received more than 200 complaints regarding Union Jack and St George's flags on lampposts.

Thousands of flags started appearing across the country last summer, with the groups responsible saying they were motivated by patriotism, while others said it felt provocative at a time when tensions were running high over the issue of immigration.

Oxfordshire County Council said each complaint was "assessed based on the level of risk" and it removed those posing an "immediate danger".

"We have been clear that placing flags on or near highways can create serious safety hazards, and we will continue to take action to remove," the council said in a statement.

"During these removals, our officers have on some occasions encountered aggressive behaviour from a small number of individuals.

"Our overriding priority is to ensure everyone's safety - the safety and wellbeing of our employees and contractors while carrying out their work, and the safety of everyone using our roads and our public spaces."

It added that it "proudly flies both the Union Jack and St George's flags" and welcomed residents displaying flags on their own property.

The authority has so far spent more than £16,500 on removing 396 of the flags from its highways.

Reform UK councillor Hao Du, who represents Didcot South, said the money spent on removing the flags was "beyond absurd".

"The argument being advanced on so-called 'public safety' grounds is, frankly, unbelievable," he said.

Conservative councillor Liam Walker added that the council seemed "remarkably quick" to act on removing flags, yet residents were "still waiting months for dangerous potholes to be dealt with".

But the Green's Ian Middleton, who represents Kidlington East, said the flags were "putting physical stresses on vital infrastructure" that they were "never designed to cope with".

"They also put those responsible for attaching them at risk and drag council workers, who are tasked with removing them, into situations that can compromise their safety," the councillor added.

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