Market Drayton taxi driver Basil Brockhurst wins union jack battle

Basil Brockhurst said he was a "proud Englishman"

A taxi driver has won his battle to fly the union jack on his vehicle as a mark of being a "proud Englishman".

Basil Brockhurst, of Market Drayton, complained to Shropshire Council over the ban because he also wanted to show he is a "proud Shropshire man".

Mr Brockhurst, an army veteran, now wants to go further to display his regimental crest and the Poppy Appeal logo on his taxi.

He can now put a flag on his bonnet but also wants to display bigger ones.

The council's revised regulations now permit one union jack, no bigger than A4 in size, on a vehicle's bonnet.

Despite the victory, Mr Brockhurst, said he "could not understand" the restrictions on the flag used.

'No-one offended'

He has been supported in his fight by his MP, Helen Morgan, and his councillor, Ian Nellins.

Mr Nellins said he knew Mr Brockhurst "very well" and used his taxi on a number of occasions.

"I was never aware of anybody who was offended by any of his flags, so when it was raised I did bring the amendment to the council to ask for something to be done," he said.

Mr Nellins said the ruling had "struck somewhere halfway", but he said Mr Brockhurst had to accept "we are a rules-based society, we have to have some form of control".

Mr Brockhurst, who left the forces in 2014, joined the King's Shropshire Light Infantry in 1975 and did three tours of Northern Ireland, before joining the Territorial Army in 1994 and serving in Iraq.

He has been told he will need the permission of the Ministry of Defence and the Royal British Legion to display the regimental crest and the poppy symbol on his vehicle.

If permission is granted, he will then have to apply to the council to be allowed to use them, the authority said.

Mr Nellins said: "He had them on his taxi before, I didn't serve in the same regiment, but I wasn't offended to use his taxi because of that and I don't think anybody else in the Market Drayton area was either."

Nevertheless, he cautioned Mr Brockhurst: "One thing at a time."