A man who put up more than 100 flags around a North Yorkshire market town has been told he will be charged a £38 removal fee per flag if he puts up any more.
North Yorkshire Council has removed around 120 St George’s Cross flags erected in and around Thirsk by Shaun Remmer, a member of the Reform Thirsk and Malton branch.
Mr Remmer, 49, who estimates he has spent more than £600 on flags, has been contacted by the authority asking him to stop putting them up on council property.
He added:
“The council have sent me a letter saying if I put any more flags up they will charge me the £38 per flag it costs to remove them.”
The father-of-three has calculated that it has already cost the council £4,560 to remove the flags.
He added:
“This is absolutely shocking that they deemed our nation’s flags high priority to be removed and spend that much doing it when in Thirsk we have roadworks that are just left for months with huge holes in the roads.
“I replied stating it was a disgrace they spent that much when I could pay a guy to build me a device to push up the pole and cut the ties for about £200 to £400.
“This goes to show how much these councils hate our flags being displayed.”
In response, North Yorkshire Council’s corporate director of environment, Karl Battersby, said:
“We have been very clear on the law regarding this matter and taken pains to explain this in writing more than once to those involved.
“The use of highways assets in some of the ways we have seen is unsafe and we understand has included people climbing ladders on the highway, leaning them against lampposts or other highways infrastructure, undertaking this while traffic is passing, and so on.
“There are risks of the flags blocking CCTV and road signage as well as them coming loose and blowing into the paths and roads, to name a few. All of this has been made clear.
“This matter has also proven to be deeply divisive across our communities and the people we serve, with many requests we take the appropriate action.
“We have nothing further to say on this which would be helpful.”
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