St George flags declared illegal

Tina Griffin says the angle of the flag poles is the problem

A couple are facing prosecution for flying the cross of St George outside their home.

The Griffin family, of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, are football fans and decided to start flying two flags for Euro 2004.

Now they want to keep the flags flying, but the city council says they are in breach of national regulations.

Tina Griffin said the council reaction was "very bizarre" and they would be fighting to keep flying the flags.

The council has never told me what it is I am advertising and clearly I would like to know what that is Tina Griffin

She said the family understood a few weeks ago that the council had decided against taking action but now they were facing the threat of prosecution again.

"If we had them on a single vertical flag pole they would be fine but because they are at an angle to the house they are classed as advertising," Mrs Griffin said.

"The council has never told me what it is I am advertising and clearly I would like to know what that is."

Mrs Griffin added a petition in the street showed the majority of people were either not bothered by the flags of St George, the patron saint of England, or had not realised they were there.

A council spokesman said they were not being petty about the flags but were simply enforcing national regulations.

The authority was prepared to allow Mrs Griffin to fly one flag, but she needs special permission to permanently fly both and to apply for that she would need to pay a £265 fee.

Mrs Griffin is due to meet officials later this week to try to sort out a compromise.