Council granted court injunction to BAN Britons hanging Union and St George’s flags on lampposts

The authority initiated the action on grounds including highway safety concerns, trespass and obstruction.

Any breach of the order carries severe consequences, with potential penalties extending to asset seizures, imprisonment or unlimited financial sanctions.

The local authority had issued a formal legal notice in March and sent pre-action correspondence to specific individuals in May before pursuing the High Court remedy.

In his ruling, Mr Justice Dexter Dias highlighted the activity had continued without interruption since August 2025, with flags being attached to highway infrastructure and painted onto road surfaces with regularity.

The judge noted the council’s motivation for targeting persons unknown stemmed from the fact that a “significant body of participants in the affixing of flags in Oxfordshire remains unidentified at the time of the applications and, indeed, at the hearings before the court”.

He observed each time the authority removed unauthorised flags, replacements would subsequently appear.

| GETTY

The judge further stated: “People directed by the claimant, whether council employees or contractors, have been obstructed in the execution of their removal duties, to the extent that at times they have simply given up on the removal.”

He concluded: “There is little prospect absent an injunction that it will stop.”

The judgement documented severe difficulties faced by personnel tasked with removing the flags, with Mr Justice Dexter Dias describing how maintenance staff had encountered hostile behaviour and threatening conduct during their operations.

According to the judge’s findings, those carrying out removal work had experienced such fear for their safety that they were instructed to conceal their identities with face coverings whilst performing their duties.

| GETTY

Security concerns escalated to the point where workers were compelled to examine their vehicles for tracking devices, particularly following an incident in which one employee’s residential address was made public.

Mr Justice Dexter Dias stated maintenance teams had been “working in fear” as they attempted to fulfil their responsibilities.

The judge added not only council staff but also local residents had faced abuse or intimidation connected to the flag dispute.

At a hearing held in June, three individuals connected to the Raise The Colours campaign — Ben Cullen, Trudy Wells and Ryan Bridge — provided formal undertakings to cease any further flag-related activities.

The judge also issued a separate injunction specifically naming Kevin Good, another member of the organisation.

The council has calculated its expenditure on flag removal operations at approximately £80,000, with legal expenses reaching around £40,000, sums it intends to recover.

Authorities are conducting investigations into certain activists who allegedly recorded video footage within the Royal Courts of Justice during the High Court hearings.

Council leader Tim Bearder welcomed the outcome of the legal action, declaring: “This is a welcome judgement. We’re very pleased with the result.”

He characterised those involved in the campaign as “very challenging people, not patriots” and expressed hope the ruling would establish a precedent with wider implications beyond Oxfordshire.

Bearder stated: “This sets a legal precedent and will hopefully deter people in not just Oxfordshire but around the country from partaking in this criminal activity.”

The authority emphasised that the restriction applies solely to flags displayed on public highway infrastructure and does not prevent residents from flying flags on their private premises.

The council confirmed it displays both Union and St George’s flags at County Hall and remains fully supportive of individuals’ rights to exhibit flags on their own property.