A council leader has vowed to have flags attached to lampposts without permission removed. Union and St George's Cross flags have been flown across the UK in recent months, as part of an online campaign called Operation Raise The Colours and more recently as a show of support for England in the World Cup.

But flying the flags has become contentious, with several local authorities removing them from public infrastructure. Cambridgeshire County Council leader, Lucy Nethsingha, said that while some people might love to fly a flag on their property or car, it was not appropriate to attach them to lampposts.

She told the BBC putting a ladder up against a lamppost is "incredibly reckless and risks lives", adding: "We will be taking down all the flags attached without permission. We are looking at ways to prevent this in the future."

Local, Billy Crotty, who hung flags along the A1198 last year, said the council's approach was overkill, telling the broadcaster he has stopped hanging them.

Cambridgeshire is not the first local authority to take action. Legal action brought by Oxfordshire County Council led to four activists agreeing last month not to raise flags on lampposts in the county.

The council wanted to stop people raising flags near roads, which it said involved safety risks, as well as trespass and obstruction.

Oxfordshire argued that for months, flags had been placed on or near public roads without permission, despite a formal legal notice in March and pre-action legal letters sent to individuals last month.

Robin Green, acting for the council, named the four as Ryan Bridge, Ben Cullen, Trudy Wells and Kevin Good.

After a short hearing on June 23 where the group represented themselves and spoke to Mr Good by phone, they agreed not to put up more flags, not to encourage others to do so, and not to obstruct any council worker or contractor taking them down.

Councils in Shropshire and Blackpool have also removed flags, citing concerns for public safety.

Operation Raise The Colours and others argue that the flying of flags from lampposts and other street furniture shows patriotism.

But others argue the flying of the Union and St George's Cross flags is a cover for xenophobia and racism.

They say flying the flags in such a way is aimed at provoking and dividing communities amid tensions over immigration.