Councils warn of strong stance on St George flag vandalism as toilets defaced

A recent spate of ‘St George flag vandalism’ in Ilfracombe has promoted the town council to condemn the actions and warn all incidents have been reported to the police.

New toilets on the seafront have been vandalised with crude red graffiti in a George Cross style, as have other public and private walls in the town, while some flags have been left tied to railings.

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The incidents follow the populist rise of the so-called Operation Raise the Colours campaign calling on people to ‘show pride’ in their flag and has led to St George or Union flags tied to lampposts or red crosses painted on roundabouts.

While supporters say it is about showing pride in their country, others feel it has been adopted to promote a right wing agenda.

In the UK it is illegal to place flags on public property such as buildings or lampposts without permission and defacing roundabouts or street signs is also an offence.

There is no barrier to people flying flags on their own property.

Following the spate in Ilfracombe, the town council issued an official statement, saying: “Ilfracombe Town Council is aware of the recent spate of St George ‘flag’ vandalism in the town.

“The council wishes to make clear that it does not condone any damage to either personal or public property and urges all residents to respect our shared spaces and community assets. 

“These incidents have been reported directly to the police and we would encourage others to do the same via the North Devon Council website or Ilfracombe Report It!

“While we recognise and respect the importance of national flags as a symbol of pride and identity, it is important that they are displayed in line with government guidance.”

Devon County Council also added its own statement: “We will always support those who wish to express their patriotism and fly the nation’s flags on their own homes, however, we do ask the public not to fly flags, or paint them, on publicly owned property without first seeking the permission of the relevant authority.

“Doing so could breach the Highways Act and pose a risk to road users should they obstruct visibility, be a distraction or become loose.

“We may remove any flags that have been hung from lampposts without permission or if we consider them to be unlawful.

“Anyone wishing to fly a flag on property that Devon County Council is responsible for can apply at no cost through our website.”

You can request permission at https://www.devon.gov.uk/.../mak.../banners-and-decorations

People can report instances of vandalism online at https://www.northdevon.gov.uk/do-it-online/report or https://ilfracombetowncouncil.gov.uk/ilfracombe-report-it