Vandalism or patriotism? Kent discusses the national St George's flag trend

Some worry the trend will put the cost of removals back on councils and divide our communities.  Kristin Hawthorne reports.

Transcript

00:00St George's flags have recently been appearing on roundabouts, road markings

00:04and signs across Kent, with some residents also flying them outside their

00:09homes and in local streets. Mirroring a trend that's seen nationwide, it's been

00:14fuelled by social media. This is just one example of the kind of graffiti

00:18that's been popping up across Kent. Doing this is actually illegal, but

00:23residents that I spoke to here in Chatham say that it's a symbol of national

00:26pride rather than an act of vandalism. I actually think it's a good idea, it's quite

00:31positive and it shows the feeling of a lot of the country at the moment. I think

00:35it's okay to have something like that, as long as it doesn't go too over the top,

00:41as long as they put their pins across civilly. I think hopefully they can get

00:46communities together that can hopefully bring, rather than the division, it's

00:53bringing people close together hopefully. But this support is far from universal,

00:58with those in charge of traffic enforcement in Medway flagging their

01:02concerns. People have every right to fly a flag from their own property. If that's

01:07something that's really important to you, if that's a really important way for you

01:12to express your national pride, go ahead and do it on your own property. Leave

01:17public property alone, do not damage public property. It's not yours to do with,

01:23what you want. We represent the whole community and that's what I'm here to defend.

01:27But Medway Council isn't the only one responsible for enforcement in the county.

01:32Kent County Council also manages highways, but they've made clear that they won't be

01:37removing the flags. I think it's a wonderful thing if you want to put your

01:40national flag up, wherever you are, in your garden, you know, on the street outside.

01:45I think it's an absolutely fantastic thing. I think in Britain we've gone a little bit,

01:49a little bit crazy in the last few years. We're probably the only country I can think of,

01:52where it could be considered a bad thing to display your national flag.

01:56KCC do stress that they will still remove flags or markings if they pose a safety risk,

02:03such as obstructing signage or CCTV. But Medway Council say that where public safety is a concern,

02:09they will remove the flags and repaint markings as soon as they can. But given the feeling

02:14on the streets, that might be easier said than done. Kristen Hawthorne for KMTV in Chatham.