Council vows to remove England flags from lamp posts during the World Cup as Lib Dem leader brands them 'inappropriate'

Published: 18:07, 1 July 2026 | Updated: 18:08, 1 July 2026 A Lib Dem council has vowed to remove England flags from lamp posts during the World Cup - deeming them 'inappropriate'. The leader of Cambridge County Council said it was 'fantastic' to see people showing support but insisted it must be done in a 'safe, inclusive way and with permission'. It comes as flags have become a staple fixture on street lights in Cambridgeshire ahead of England's game against DR Congo tonight. Lucy Nethsingha, council leader, said 'simply putting a ladder up against a lamp-post is incredibly reckless and risks lives'. She told the BBC: 'While some might love to show a flag on their own house or car, it's not appropriate to attach them to a public lamp-post. 'We will be taking down all the flags attached without permission. We are looking at ways to prevent this in the future.' Billy Crotty, who last year hung hundreds of flags along the A1198, has described the policy as 'overkill'. It follows the council previously removing flags Mr Crotty had raised on a stretch of the road near Bassingbourn. The leader of Cambridge County Council said it was 'fantastic' to see people showing support but insisted it must be done in a 'safe, inclusive way and with permission'. A St George's flag is seen flying from a lamppost in Harlow Locals displayed England flags in Torrington Avenue, Bristol, despite the council telling them not to The local authority is one of several across the country that have opposed flags being flown on public infrastructure. Green-run Bristol city council told residents not to put up England flags because they would not be 'welcoming' and posed health and safety dangers. However, 'the country's most patriotic street' - Torrington Avenue - appeared to defy the warning by fluttering them across the length of the road. Meanwhile Lib Dem-run Oxfordshire County Council won a High Court injunction last week that banned anybody from flying flags on or near public highways. The council previously said: 'Residents across Oxfordshire, from Adderbury to Wallingford, have complained to the council about safety risks, intimidation and distress linked to this activity.  'The ongoing scale and persistence of the behaviour by Raise the Colours has created safety risks, caused distress within communities, and led to abuse and intimidation directed at council teams and residents.' Oxfordshire removed and painted over more than 333 Union and St George's cross flags at an average cost of £45 per flag, it was reported in January. In total councillors said around £15,000 had been spent taking down flags. Operation Raise the Colours encouraged supporters to mount flags in their communities last summer in an effort which has continued since. But the group was criticised for its links to far-right groups - it accepted a donation from Britain First, it was revealed last year. Andy Saxon, one of the campaign's organisers, said he did not believe Britain First was a far-right group. The party campaigns for 'remigration' and supports a new treason law for politicians who 'alter the demographic makeup of the British Isles'. Mr Saxon, a father-of-five, has previously reshared posts from Britain First leader Paul Golding and said: 'I am indeed a supporter of Tommy Robinson.' The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.