THE man behind Union and Cross of St George flags which appeared on Minehead sea front last week has said he will return to keep them looking trim and tidy.

‘Flagman’ strung the flags from lampposts between the harbour and Jubilee Gardens during an overnight visit which has divided opinions among the town’s residents.

While the overwhelming majority of people commenting on social media have backed the flags and congratulated ‘Flagman’, a significant minority have objected, some even reopening the Brexit debate and calling for the UK to rejoin the EU.

Somerset Council has said it will take down the flags and recover the cost of doing so from ‘Flagman’.

But, ‘Flagman’ who said he was nothing to do with the national ‘Operation Raise the Colours’ campaign, said it was up to Minehead residents to decide if they wanted the flags to stay.

He said: “If the people of Minehead decide they do not want the flags, I will personally return and remove them free of charge.

“If they want them to stay, I will return to maintain, repair, and replace them for the next few months, again free of charge.

“Not a penny of taxpayers’ money needed.

“This is not about Left or Right.

“It is about pride, community, and fairness for everybody.

“You would think the council would be pleased somebody has taken it upon themselves to fly our national flags proudly along the seafront for everybody.”

‘Flagman’ said the council wanted the flags removed as soon as possible, but he queried if the authority had its priorities correct.

He said: “We have homeless people living on our streets, potholes in our roads, and public services struggling to cope, yet we are spending council time discussing our national flags.

“Surely, these flags should be at the bottom of the priority list, not the top.”