Safety warning as councils move to take down flags

Residents are free to fly flags on their own property, council bosses have said

Two councils in the Liverpool City region have issued safety warnings about flying flags from lamp-posts.

St George and union flags have been appearing across the country in recent weeks with those flying the symbols saying they have been motivated by patriotism.

A number of flags which appeared on lamp-posts in Everton in Liverpool were taken down by a council amid claims they could pose a "serious safety risk to road users".

Flags have also appeared in Halton, which prompted an appeal by the local authority for people to "work together" to safely fly flags in the area. Both authorities said residents are free to fly flags within their own properties.

Flags put up on lamp-posts in Liverpool were taken down by the council

Halton council leader Mike Wharton said for safety reasons anything attached to a lamp-post needs to have the permission of the highways authority and be installed correctly.

"We're sure nobody wants a flag coming loose from a lamppost on a highway and ending up on a moving vehicle's windscreen and potentially putting the driver, passengers and pedestrians at risk by causing an accident," he said.

"We'd ask that the people putting up the flags on the highways lamp-posts to contact us so that we can work together on this.

"Halton proudly flies the union flag at council buildings such as the municipal building in Widnes and the town hall in Runcorn every day."

Mike Wharton said Halton Borough Council "proudly" flies the union flag

Liverpool City Council confirmed it had removed a small number number of flags from public streetlights.

"This is part of our standard protocol as we routinely remove any unauthorised attachments from street furniture to ensure public safety," a council representative said.

"Any attachments to street furniture, such as streetlights, could present a serious safety risk to road users. If they are not secured properly, they could cause an accident, and the placement of items could reduce visibility on the road."