Man 'threatened' over flag outside his home

Flags have been put up on lampposts around Birmingham and the Black Country

A Stourbridge man has said he felt "threatened" after a St George's flag was put up by two men on a lamppost outside his home.

The resident, in his 70s and wishing to remain anonymous, said the men refused to take the flag down.

He reported it to police, who are now investigating.

Patrick Harley, the Conservative leader of Dudley Council, said people should be able to "express their love for our flag" by flying it "loud and proud".

The anonymous resident, who is being referred to as Bob, said he saw two men with a ladder outside his home at about 20:15 BST on Sunday when he and his wife were watching television.

He said when he told the men he would take the flag down himself, they replied: "If you do, then see what happens."

Bob said two flags were put up on his street.

"I was really quite upset. I felt threatened," he said, adding that he and his wife feared there could be "some kind of physical attack".

A police officer visited the couple the following morning, after they reported the incident.

West Midlands Police said anyone with information on the incident should contact them by calling 101.

It comes amid a wider conversation over the appearance of flags, particularly the St George and Union flags, in parts of the West Midlands and beyond.

The flags have appeared on lampposts, roundabouts, pedestrian crossings and more.

They were first spotted in Weoley Castle, Northfield, but can now be seen across England.

Councillor Harley said that "some councils are making a mountain out of a molehill" and that he wanted to see the St George's flag, the Union flag and the Black Country flag "flying loud and proud right across the borough".

"The Americans do it all the time," he added.

"We will not be removing flags as long as they are not a hazard to passing motorists and anybody else."

Speaking to the BBC, Harley said there had to be a degree of "common sense" when putting up the flags to ensure people stayed within the confines of the law.

"People shouldn't be going round threatening people; we shouldn't be erecting flags where it could be dangerous to motorists," he said.

"I think as long as people are sensible and aren't injuring themselves erecting these flags or damaging council street lighting columns, then I'm pretty relaxed."

Dudley Council leader Patrick Harley says flags should be flown "loud and proud"

Mike Bird, the leader of neighbouring Walsall Council, said flags could be flown on lampposts but should not be painted on roundabouts.

He told BBC Radio WM's Ed James: "Mini islands are painted with reflective paint, and therefore if someone damages them by painting the St George cross, then effectively that could cause a highway danger.

"That's our real concern, and the safety of the people doing it and motorists actually navigating those islands."

He said people painting on roundabouts were committing a criminal offence.

The Conservative councillor said Nigel Farage had "hijacked" the flag and that Reform UK were "milking it for all it's worth".

But he said some people were only "extending" the patriotism of VJ Day earlier this month and added: "We're quite happy to see the St George flag flown."

Ellis Cashmore, professor of sociology, said: "The last several days, there's been a kind of gathering momentum, and people have retaliated against that and said, 'No no, this is not the far right; we're not a bunch of racists.'

"We're just ordinary working-class people who have been silenced or rendered invisible over the past few years, and we do have concerns, and we want to express ourselves and make our presence felt."

The flags were first spotted in Weoley Castle, Northfield

Bob said his objection was not to the flag itself but to its "connotations".

"This has been one of the tools the far right has deliberately used," he said. "We see them outside refuge hotels at the moment and parading the flag at demonstrations."

"I've become very disturbed with the arguments that have accompanied this," he added.

He said that while he couldn't be sure of the motives of those flying flags in the streets, he feared it was an "assertion of white identity".

"We live in the West Midlands, a multicultural community. There are people living in communities where there would be a level of fear because of these flags."

Bob added: "This is not patriotic and we shouldn't fool ourselves that it is. It has got a political agenda attached."