Council wins High Court battle banning flags on lampposts - as workers urged to check vehicles for trackers

The council was granted a High Court injunction on Friday, putting a halt to residents hanging flags on local streets.

It comes as maintenance staff at Oxfordshire County Council were reportedly warned to wear face coverings and be conscious of individuals potentially tracking their vehicle after one staff member's home address was published by campaigners.

A surge in Union and St George's Cross flags being hung from lampposts across the country has been attributed to an online campaign called Operation Raise the Colours.

However, recent months have seen a growing pushback against the flag, namely over it's perceived link to the far-Right.

In a judgment on Friday, Mr Justice Dexter Dias made an injunction ordering unknown people not to attach flags to highway structures or paint them on roads in Oxfordshire.

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Under the law, a breach of such an injunction could lead to the seizures of assets, unlimited fines or imprisonment.

It follows a wave of flags being hung around towns in the country by the far-Right linked group.

The local authority, which was previously a Liberal Democrat held council, is currently in no overall control, had brought legal action to stop the unsolicited raising of flags near main roads.

The council had argued that the flags posed a safety risk, with the hanging of the flag also constituting trespass and obstruction.

It also comes amid suggestions by the judge that local council workers have faced harassment, with the judge highlighting that staff had been urged to check their vehicles for trackers in the wake of intimidating tactics.

It comes after one worker's home address was published online.

The judge said: "The motivation for the claimant's application against persons unknown is 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.

"Although the claimant has repeatedly removed unauthorised flags, more flags are later affixed.

"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."

It comes as the council highlighted that the injunction does not relate to people who wish to fly flags on their own private property, flagging that Oxfordshire County Council proudly flies the Union Flag and St George’s flag at County Hall.

Local authority workers are said to have been "working in fear" after they were harassed for carrying out their jobs.

The High Court ruling comes after three people linked to Operation Raise the Colours – Ben Cullen, Trudy Wells and Ryan Bridge – were warned "not to engage in any future flag-related activity".

The judge also handed down a separate injunction against Raise the Colours member Kevin Good.

The judge continued: "The affixing of flags and the painting of insignia on the highway has continued consistently and persistently since August 2025.

"There is little prospect absent an injunction that it will stop."

Council Leader Tim Bearder said: "This is a welcome judgement. We're very pleased with the result.

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

He said his authority was "dealing with very challenging people, not patriots".