Britons face £2,500 fine for putting English flag up at homes on St George’s Day

The regulations, which apply equally to the flags of St George and St Andrew, require residents to comply with specific size and placement requirements or face potential enforcement action from their local authority.

Flags mounted on poles projecting from the side of a building must not exceed two square metres in area, according to the planning guidance.

For those wishing to display larger banners, the solution is to mount them on a vertical pole fixed to the roof itself, where only a single flag is permitted per pole.

Residents living within designated controlled zones, including Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, may need to obtain additional consent before erecting any flag display.

Failure to comply with council demands to take down non-compliant flags can result in households being reported, and subsequently fined under the regulations.

Those who repeatedly breach the regulations face escalating penalties, with fines climbing from an initial £100 up to the maximum £2,500 for persistent offenders.

Government guidance also makes clear that it is unlawful to add any advertising material or additional imagery to the flag's design.

However, an exception exists for displaying two flags on a single projecting pole, provided one is a national flag that does not require consent and is positioned in the superior spot.

The annual celebration on April 23 commemorates the death of England's patron saint, who died in 303 AD, and typically sees flags erected up and down the country.

Much of the controversy around flags emerged with Operation Raise the Colours - a campaign movement of groups that display the Union flag and the St George's flag in public places across Britain.

The movement, at it's height in August 2025, was described as a patriotic expression of pride in Britain - however it was met with harsh critics, who brandished the operation as "racist" and "hard right".

Beyond raising flags, the movement also saw those involved paint the flag onto roundabouts and street signs, with areas of the West Midlands, Newcastle, Worcester, Bradford, and Greater Manchester among the most decorated.

Members of the Raise the Colours group were allegedly attacked and declared unwelcome in Oxford last month, after they installed St George and Union Jack flags on a busy street.

The incident unfolded at approximately 5pm on March 24 during peak rush hour on Abingdon Road, Grandpont, with the group using a cherry-picker van marked Highway Maintenance to attach flags on both sides of the busy carriageway.

An open letter from the Grandpont Welcomes campaign began circulating, declaring that residents are "horrified by this action, not because of the flags, but because of the intention behind them and the underlying hate they are trying to sow".

Ryan Bridge, one of the co-founders of the group, told GB News at the time: "We just wanted to support Oxfordshire, as they had flags taken down by the council at a cost of £51 per lamppost.

"We assisted them erecting flags to install patriotism and unity across the board.

"We were attacked verbally and physically four times in Oxford by four members of the public, verbally attacked all night and called scumbags, racists, nazis, and fascists.

"I was punched, kicked and hit by a bike - I've paid tax into the country for years, and I believe those who attacked us are traitors to their country."