Flag will not be removed

A ST George’s flag that was painted on a mini roundabout in Henley will not be removed.

The red and white cross, which was painted on a roundabout in Reading Road this week will be allowed to “naturally fade”.

A spokesman for Oxfordshire County Council, the highways authority, said it would only be removed if it creates a safety issue.

Part of Reading Road between Marmion Road and the Tesco roundabout is set to be resurfaced starting on Monday.

But it is understood that the mini roundabout, which is at the junction of the Three Horseshoes pub, will not be included in these works.

The graffiti appeared about a week after St George’s flags had been hoisted on the Tesco roundabout, also in Reading Road.

These were removed by Henley Town Council’s parks services team, which manages the landscaping on the site.

Daisy Smith, the council’s communications manager, said anything displayed on the roundabout without permission would be removed. The flag of England has appeared on flagpoles and roundabouts in cities, towns and villages across the country in recent weeks and is understood to have initially appeared in support of the Lionesses’ Euros campaign in July.

However, last month, a suggestion that flags displayed in Birmingham could be removed over safety concerns spurred other towns and
villages to raise more flags in what supporters have called a display of pride and patriotism.

Town councillor Kellie Hinton, who chairs Henley in Bloom, said that while there are political motivations behind some displays of the flag, the council’s main concern was vandalism.

She said: “I’m very proud to be English like everyone else, I have no problem with flags being flown. I do, however, have a problem with graffiti.

“I know there are people who say, ‘leave it there’, there are also people who don’t want it there. It’s a very sensitive topic.

“The bottom line is it’s a roundabout that needs to be seen clearly and therefore graffiti of any kind has to be rectified.”

Henley MP Freddie van Mierlo said: “The flag of St George is something we all in England can be proud of, especially when the women’s rugby team are doing so well at the moment.

“However, research by Hope not Hate has shown the ‘raise the colours’ campaign is being orchestrated by the extreme right, even if those carrying out the actions are ordinary, proud citizens.

“Some residents may feel concerned at this and I’d like to offer my reassurance that the Henley I know is a tolerant and vibrant community that welcomes diversity.”