A council led by the Liberal Democrats has blamed Storm Amy for tearing down St George's and Union flags from lampposts. Shropshire Council leaders claimed many of the flags around the county have become "torn, unsightly or potentially hazardous" as a result of the storm, which swept across the UK earlier this month.
Flags appeared in streets across the UK over the summer in Operation Raise the Colours, a campaign that divided opinion. Supporters cheered the flag-raising as patriotic displays, while critics condemned it as anti-immigrant, racist, and divisive.
Shropshire's deputy leader, Alex Wagner, told the BBC in August that the local authority had "absolutely no problem" with people being patriotic and flying the colours.
He added: "A lot of these are clearly made of plastic. I suspect they're not going to withstand much pressure from the elements."
Mr Wagner said: "[I]n three or six months, I suspect the same people aren't going to be going back around keeping an eye on maintaining them. Ultimately, that falls on the public purse."
The local authority has now said it removed flags which had "deteriorated" or that were "unsecured" to ensure public safety and maintain the appearance of streets in the county.
A council spokesperson said: "Some are at risk of obscuring street signs, street lights, or traffic signals, while others could fall onto the road if not properly secured."
A total of six flags have been removed from two roads at the time of writing. A local from Dudley complained to the Shropshire Star that the state of the flags was an embarrassment.
They wrote: "I love our flag and support them being displayed officially - but not when they are tatty and often upside down."
Sir John Hayes, Conservative MP for South Holland and The Deepings, told the Telegraph he saw no reason to remove the flags.
He said: "Flags fly best in strong winds so unless there was imminent risk of the lampposts collapsing I can see no reason to take them down. Flags flutter in the wind."
The MP added that people will be suspicious that councillors who have self-doubt and a dubious amount of patriotism will find any excuse to take down the Cross of St George and Union flag.
Sir John quipped that unless there was an imminent risk of the lampposts collapsing he saw no reason to remove them.
