Praise for international flag display

Councillor Karen Lewing said the international flags could be related to the Women's Rugby World Cup

A variety of international flags that have been seen flying in Worcester has been praised.

Karen Lewing, who represents the Arboretum ward for Worcester City Council, said she believed the display had been created for the Women's Rugby World Cup.

Discussing the display on Barbourne Road, which included Somoa, Canada, Spain, Fiji and England, she said: "It's celebrating something that's a competition, a healthy competition between lots of countries around the world."

It comes after the St George's cross and the Union flag had been hung in Worcester and other parts of the country, which Lewing said had "concerned" some residents.

Lewing said the flags on Barbourne Road were "celebrating something"

"I think flags are a lovely thing, people love seeing them and they're often about celebration but I've had emails and telephone calls from residents who are concerned," she said.

"This includes local vicars and people in local churches who say people are coming to them because they are concerned."

She said it was a "highly politically charged time in the UK with everything that is going on with asylum hotels".

"What people are concerned about is that political way of using the flag is taking away the flag from everyone else who is also patriotic but for the right reasons, who love their country and love where they live."