Oxfordshire County Council has been granted a High Court injunction banning people from attaching flags to lampposts and other highway structures, after maintenance workers said they were living in fear of intimidation.
Mr Justice Dexter Dias issued the order against persons unknown, prohibiting anyone from affixing flags to highway structures or painting them on roads in Oxfordshire. Breaching the injunction can lead to asset seizures, unlimited fines or imprisonment.
The judge said maintenance teams had been told to wear face coverings and check their vehicles for tracking devices after a colleague’s home address was published by campaigners. Workers had faced abuse and obstruction while removing flags, and at times had simply given up on the task, he said.
The council said flags had been placed on or near public roads without permission for months, despite a formal legal notice issued in March and pre-action legal letters sent to individuals in May.
Justice Dias said the affixing of flags and painting of insignia on the highway had continued consistently and persistently since August 2025, adding there was little prospect it would stop without an injunction.
Operation Raise the Colours
The flags are linked to an online campaign called Operation Raise the Colours, which encouraged supporters to mount Union and St George’s Cross flags in their communities. The campaign has been criticised for its links to far-right groups after it emerged it accepted a donation from Britain First.
Three people associated with the campaign, Ben Cullen, Trudy Wells and Ryan Bridge, gave undertakings not to engage in any future flag-related activity. The judge also granted a separate injunction against group member Kevin Good. There has been no suggestion that any of the named individuals were involved in intimidatory activities against council workers.
The council said it had spent around £15,000 removing more than 333 flags since January, at an average cost of £45 per flag.
Council and political reaction
Council leader Tim Bearder said the authority fully supported residents’ right to display flags on their own private property, but drew a distinction between lawful expression and activity that put people at risk.
Bearder said the activity was not about national pride or unity but was unlawful behaviour that had caused fear and division within communities.
Conservative councillor Liam Walker questioned the timing and cost of the legal action, saying many residents would question whether escalating matters through the courts was the right approach. He called for full transparency about the total cost of the process, noting that local authorities were under immense financial pressure.
A council spokesman insisted there was no link between the timing of the High Court hearing and the start of England’s World Cup campaign, which coincided with the proceedings.
