"Fly flags but don't paint the roads", says Leicestershire County Council
Leicestershire County Council is asking members of the public not to paint road markings.
Leicestershire County Council is asking members of the public not to paint road markings.
It follows a rise in the number of England flags and Union Jacks being painted on mini roundabouts and zebra crossings across the country.
While it’s actually an offence to attach anything to a street light without permission, highways teams will only step in if flags attached to lamp posts, or other street furniture, pose a serious safety risk, but people are being asked not to paint or graffiti mini-roundabouts and crossings, which is illegal.
Since Friday (29 August), highways teams in the county have had to remove at least three separate sets of offensive graffiti, adding to taxpayers’ bills.
Dan Harrison, leader of Leicestershire County Council, said: “It’s great to see people being patriotic. Whilst the flags are a welcome sight, the flying must be done safely.
“I know people want to show national pride but painting roads is different – it’s dangerous and against the law. We can’t condone vandalism, nor stand by when extremely offensive comments are being spraypainted onto public property. Our communities quite rightly expect us to take action and we will do.
“I’m proud of our communities, our heritage and our country and I’m keen to explore how we can celebrate this across Leicestershire."
Police and Crime Commissioner, Rupert Matthews, is backing the call, and said: “Our national flags are symbols of unity and pride that we can all rally behind.
“However, I would urge everyone to obey the law relating to flags when raising the colours.”