Village told to remove flags for Christmas lights

A village has been told by the Reform-led Kent County Council (KCC) it must remove flags, including St George's flags, from lamp-posts if it wants to put up Christmas lights.

Harrietsham Parish Council said KCC issued a permit for Christmas lights to be installed along the A20 in the village with a condition that any flags on lamp-posts were removed beforehand as they posed a safety risk.

The parish council says this means the Christmas lights may not be able to be installed this year and that it is still liable for the hire cost.

Peter Osborne, KCC's cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "Flags on streetlight columns pose a risk during installation, so they must be removed to ensure the lights go up safely and can be enjoyed by everyone."