Council chiefs have banned residents from hanging St George cross bunting outside their homes during the World Cup – for health and safety reasons.
Peter and Lisa Worthington decked their home in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, with 11 St George’s cross flags and five strings of bunting.
But last week a North Somerset Council worker threatened them with a fine if they did not remove the bunting, which was tied to a council-owned lamppost.
The official claimed the council could be liable for damages if the ribbon fell and injured somebody.
But care worker Lisa, 39, and her three children believe the council has ”scored an own goal” because the string ”could not hurt anybody”.
She said: ”We put the flags up to show our support for England as the World Cup is only once every four years.
”We just wanted to get the neighbourhood into the spirit and the bunting was far too high to interfere with anybody.
”He said we had to take it down because we weren’t allowed to attach anything to council property.
”The council has scored an own goal and it should support the team rather than being such a bunch of killjoys.”
A North Somerset Council spokesman said the bunting could pose a health and safety risk.
He said: ”The problem would come if somebody puts bunting up and it then falls and wraps around somebody and injuries them.
”I’m not sure we would be liable but we don’t want to risk it. It’s great that people want to be patriotic but we don’t allow people to attach anything
to our structures.”
