Council in ‘no great rush’ to remove St George’s flags from Maidenhead roundabouts

Mini-roundabouts across Maidenhead have been painted with St George’s flags.

Roundabouts in Oldfield Road, Stafferton Way and Waltham Road are among the junctions which now feature a red cross while Union flags have also been spotted attached to lampposts.

St George’s flags have been increasingly hoisted in towns, villages and cities across the country in recent weeks following a social media campaign named Operation Raise Your Colours.

But the issue has stirred debate with campaign group Hope Not Hate questioning the motivation behind the movement.

Royal Borough councillor Geoff Hill (Independent, Oldfield), who is in charge of the borough’s roads, said the council is aware of the issue but a decision is yet to be taken about when to remove the flags and paint.

He told the Advertiser: “We are debating it in the cabinet about what to do and when.

“But at some point they’ll have to come down because they’re on public property and some of them are a bit of a distraction.

“It is a democracy and people do have a right to have their say.

“We’re not in any great rush but at some point we’ll end up removing them.”

He added: “We’re very sensitive to the whole subject on flag raising. We’re very sensitive to people’s view at the moment and them expressing themselves.

“If you put it (flag) outside your window like you do when England are playing, that’s down to you if it’s on private property.

“This is a little bit different because it’s on the roads and what is in effect public property.

“It is in effect fly posting and it is illegal. But with the current mood in the country, I think we need to be very sensitive and careful with the way we go about this.”