The World Cup is just days away and England fans have only got five days left to prepare their St George's Cross flags and get into the spirit of the Three Lions.

After two near misses in the past two big tournaments, England fans might dare to dream that the World Cup 2026, in the USA, could finally be the time England, guided by new boss Thomas Tuchel, could lift the glimmering trophy for only the second time.

The tournament officially starts next Thursday, June 11, when Mexico take on South Africa to open proceedings. But if you’re planning on flying an England flag for the big day, you should be aware of a local council planning laws which could technically see you slapped with a £2,500 fine if you break them.

The Government says in recent years it has relaxed the rules on flying flags, not just the Union Jack, but also the flags of England, Wales, Ireland and indeed any national flag at all as it wants to see more flags flown in general.

The rules for flying a flag on a roof are very open. The government says certain flags can be flown from rooftops of any size, as long as they meet certain conditions.

England flags - as well as Scottish flags, Commonwealth country flags, NHS and LGBT flags are all permitted to be flown from your house. These can be any size if they are flown from the roof, and will attract no fines as a result.

However, if you’re flying the flag on a flagpole ‘projecting from any part of the building other than the roof’, the flag cannot be larger than two metres squared in size.

Consent is required if you live in a controlled area, too, such as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).

Those failing to comply with the rules could be reported and, ultimately, fined up to £2,500 for refusing to obey requests from your local council to remove an oversized flag.

One way to get around this is to fly the flagpole from the roof instead. Under the law, flags on a vertical flagpole flown from the roof have no maximum size, unless you’re in an AONB.

The government sets out: “Two flags on the same flagpole projecting from any part of a building are permitted provided one of the flags is from category (a) (flags which do not need consent) such as a national flag and that flag is flown in the superior position.

“Otherwise, only one flag on a projecting flagpole on a building is permitted.

“The flag may not exceed 2 square metres in size.”

The government's rules on flags say: "All flags must be:

• maintained in a condition that does not impair the overall visual appearance of the site
• kept in a safe condition
• have the permission of the owner of the site on which they are displayed (this includes the Highway Authority if the sign is to be placed on highway land)
• not obscure, or hinder the interpretation of official road, rail, waterway or aircraft signs, or otherwise make hazardous the use of these types of transport
• be removed carefully where so required by the planning authority

The full list of flags that do not require consent are:

1. Any country’s national flag, civil ensign or civil air ensign

However, if you’re flying the flag from a pole protruding from any part of a building other than the roof, there are stricter rules. The Town and Country Planning Regulations 2007 set out that there are rules for a maximum size for flags flying on your house if it’s on a pole, not on the roof.

The government adds: “The flag may not exceed 2 square metres in size. No restrictions on the size of characters. Consent is required if the flagpole is in a controlled area.”

Those failing to comply with the rules could be reported and, ultimately, fined up to £2,500 for refusing to obey requests from your local council to remove an oversized flag.

The law states: “A person displaying an advertisement in contravention of these regulations shall be liable, on summary conviction of an offence under section 224(3) of the Act, to a fine of an amount not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale and, in the case of a continuing offence, one tenth of level 4 on the standard scale [£2,500] for each day during which the offence continues after conviction.”