Mia Williams
England fans have been issued a warning about flying flags ahead of tonight's Euros game, and it could land you with a £2,500 fine.
Have you thought about flying an England flag outside of your car ahead of their big Euros games this week?
Well you might want to think again.
For football fans all over the country, now is the time to show their support for the Three Lions in Euro 2024, with the St George’s flag draped out of windows and cars across England.
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You might be tempted to show support in the same way, but you might want to steer clear after this warning.
While driving with a flag is not an illegal thing to do, you could be committing a crime if you secure it in a faulty way.
Police officers in the UK can slap drivers who fly obstructive flags outside of their car windows with a £300 fine.
And if the case goes to court, you could be issued a fine of up to £2,500.
Ouch. God save the king, ay?
According to government guidance issued in 2010, large flags could become a problem for fans.
This is as well as if any flag came off and caused injury or damage, as it is classed as an unsecured load.
A flag of the size of an A4 paper would be considered normal, but ‘the larger the flag the more potential for problems,’ West Yorkshire Police has said.
Understandably, larger flags than this could obstruct the driver’s or another motorist’s view, which would endanger people while on the road.
But flags aren’t the only form of England support that could land you in hot water.
Decorating your number plate will also land you a red card.
The law sets out specific requirements for registration plates, and illegal ones carry a maximum fine of £1,000.
So between your flag and decorated reg, you could be at about £3,500 worth of damage…so it’s probably not worth it.
The government guidance from 2010 states: “It is not a specific offence to fly a flag on a vehicle and the majority of vehicle flags currently on sale are legal, provided they are fitted to the vehicle in a sensible manner.
“However, it is worth noting the following points: flags which are so large that they obscure the driver’s view of traffic ahead of the vehicle may contravene Regulation 30 of The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986.”