More than £7,000 has been spent by South Yorkshire councils removing flags from public property

Data gathered through Freedom of Information (FOI) requests by political adviser Pablo O’Hana has shown that across Britain local councils have paid out £60,000 in clean-up costs as a movement has seen people attempt to attach flags to public property like lampposts and bridges, or paint St George’s crosses on things like roundabouts.

Around £7,000 of that was spent in South Yorkshire alone, with the four local authorities revealing they have removed just 30 flags.

O’Hana made headlines in August when he ripped down a St George’s flag from a road bridge in Manchester and got in to a heated argument with the man who’d put it up.

He thinks the actual cost of the removals could be much higher, as the data shows 583 incidents of flag removals across 276 areas – but just 36 councils recorded a cost to the work, indicating most have absorbed the costs into their budgets.

Only Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council and Doncaster City Council recorded costs locally.

Doncaster removed four flags, at a cost of £1,018 (£270.25 per flag) while Barnsley removed 21 at a cost of £6,000 (£285.70 per flag)

Sheffield City Council recorded removing five flags but did not record a cost, while Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council say they have yet to remove any.

The act of raising flags has been described as patriotic by some, however has raised criticism as movements - such as ‘Operation Raise the Colours’ - have been tied to far right figures.

In September, The Star reported on how street signs in Sheffield have been covered with spray paint, making them almost illegible.

In a statement released on September 4, a spokesperson for Sheffield Council said: “Sheffield City Council welcomes people flying flags on private property and recognise there are many reasons to fly flags such as a celebration of community, national pride and our many sporting events.

“However, unauthorised items will be removed from public property in due course as part of routine maintenance. Any unauthorised items which pose a safety risk will be removed as a priority.

“Should any flags need to be removed they will be retained and stored in a safe location.”

Local councils have been approached for comment.