Reform chief calls for 'official' roundabout flags

Flags of St George have been appearing on roundabouts, including this one in Birmingham, for several weeks

A leading member of a Reform UK-run county council has said the authority should paint the flag of St George on all of its mini-roundabouts.

Lancashire County Council's Brian Moore made the suggestion at a meeting which approved a ban on all but a handful of flags being flown over municipal buildings.

The economic development and growth boss's call came after roundabouts around the UK were illegally daubed with red crosses on white backgrounds.

The council has not said whether it was considering the councillor's suggestion for painting the markings to become "official policy".

The appearance of union jacks and flags of St George around England in recent weeks has caused widespread debate about whether the trend is a statement of national pride or an attempt to "weaponise" the symbols, amid ongoing tensions around immigration and asylum seeker hotels.

At the meeting at which Moore made his suggestion, the council ratified its policy that no flags other than the union jack, the flag of St George, the county flag of Lancashire, the flag of Lancashire County Council, the Armed Forces flag, the Commonwealth flag and the Merchant Navy flag.

Moore, who represents the Morecambe South division, told the meeting: "I am very proud of the British and the union flag and fully support our flag policy.

"I don't believe it's weaponising it by saying that we, as a council, want to put it up there and show pride in our country.

"I actually think... and I will suggest this later outside the meeting, that we, as a council, [should] have an official policy of painting a red cross on all white roundabouts."

In response to the recent appearance of flags of St George on roundabouts in Lancashire, the county council said: "We'd like to remind people that painting on or altering highway assets presents significant safety risks - and any unauthorised markings which pose a hazard for highway users may need to be removed at the expense of the taxpayer.

"We encourage people to report any highways matters if there are concerns over safety and we will assess whether there is a safety issue in this instance and if action is needed."

Additional reporting by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.