The leader of Oxfordshire county council, Tim Bearder, secured a landmark High Court injunction against unauthorised England flags, but insists it is not a 'culture war'. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

Pausing in the shadow of the Royal Courts of Justice in London, Bearder called the victory a landmark legal win. The court, one of the most important in England and Wales, ruled that hanging the English flag from lampposts without the council's permission should not be allowed.

"We've secured the first ever injunction [of its kind] in the country and this will serve as a blueprint for other councils wishing to stop this irresponsible behaviour," Bearder said.

Tensions between the Raise the Colours group and the council began last summer when the group launched a "nationwide campaign to cover Britain in flags". The phenomenon started in Birmingham, spreading across the West Midlands, Worcester, Greater Manchester, and Newcastle.

Oxfordshire council became aware of the flags in August last year, initially deciding against action in the hope the movement would "blow over". Bearder said they took a "very light touch approach". However, as the campaign continued, the council decided to take the flags down.

"They [were] doing it in very dangerous situations on busy roundabouts with just a ladder," Bearder said. "As a highways authority, we have a legal responsibility to maintain a safe highways network."

In its High Court claim, the council said contractors removing flags had been met "with hostility and obstruction" from people associated with Raise the Colours, including two incidents where they were "obstructed, harassed and intimidated". It also referred to incidents where "vehicles were used to prevent the contractors from operating a working platform" and contractors being followed to their yard.

Bearder said such episodes led to staff not turning up for work or refusing to take down flags. Those who did would work at night wearing balaclavas and using unmarked vans to avoid confrontations.

The council issued a formal legal notice to Raise the Colours in March, calling it an "act of intimidation and division" and saying residents reported "feeling distressed, unwelcome and unsafe in their own neighbourhoods". The council sent further pre-action letters to named individuals in May.

Bearder said the injunction was the most cost-effective method. The council had spent about £50,000 on removing flags. "We do get the challenge: 'Why are you spending any money taking down flags when you should be fixing potholes?' That's what we'd rather be doing... This council is facing £24m of cuts this year. We don't want to be spending money on legal action to prevent people doing illegal things," he said.

At the culmination of the showdown in London, Bearder and his Liberal Democrat-led council were vindicated. Four people associated with Raise the Colours – Ryan Bridge, Trudy Wells, and Ben Cullen – agreed to stop hoisting England flags on lampposts. They also told the court they would not encourage others to raise flags from public infrastructure or impede staff from taking them down.

No sooner had the matter been settled than the vitriolic reaction began in the media. Reform UK MP Richard Tice accused the Liberal Democrats of hating England and patriotism, while former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp criticised "stupid councillors who [have] idiotic opinions".