Proud patriots paint Danish flag on English roundabout

They had one job...

Roundabouts have been at the centre of political discourse in the UK of recent days as more and more 'patriots' take to the streets to paint English flags on small roundabouts.

While many believe this to be a show of pride in the nation, ultimately councils are seeing it as a form of vandalism, much like graffiti.

Now, in a recent attempt to show some national pride, a couple of proud Englishmen may have skipped geography lessons as they painted a Danish flag on a roundabout in Walsall, instead of an English one.

The pair were seen masked up in St George's cross themed balaclavas wielding paint rollers and buckets of paint in hand.

They are believed to be behind a St George’s cross painted on a mini-roundabout in Bentley and also on a zebra crossing in the Willenhall area.

Many found the funny side of their botched roundabout job as someone shared a video of the moment captioned: "The Vikings are coming!".

One person said: "Give them a medal!"

Meanwhile another wrote: "So proud can’t even show their face. Britain at its finest."

Finally one person pointed out: "It’s taxpayers’ money which will be used to clear this up.. What is the point, absolute idiots."

While it is quite common to see English flags flying from lampposts and out of residential homes during big sports tournaments like the football World Cup and Olympics, it’s rare to see them during in as high numbers as can be currently seen on British streets.

The uptake in flags flying in England began to first be spotted around the Lionesses’ Euro 2025 victory in May, but has grown exponentially since.

In recent years, the flag has grown to be closely related to right-wing populist groups like Britain First and the English Defence League, and there have been fears that this recent rise in flag sightings is related to a rise in support for those controversial groups.

The BBC have spoken to some of the groups involved in erecting flags across the UK who have said it is motivated by pride and patriotism.

One of the groups of people who have taken credit for a rise in flags in an area called Woeley near Birmingham call themselves the Weoley Warriors.

They describe themselves as a “group of proud English men with a common goal to show Birmingham and the rest of the country of how proud we are of our history, freedoms and achievements”.

Others suggest the raising of the flags is a deliberately divisive move at a time when the national conversation about immigration is at its most tense in years.

English opponents of the St George’s flag have said it excludes non-white members of the UK’s community.

The flags are also creating issues for local councils, and West Mercia police force have launched an investigation into criminal damage after a roundabout was repainted in the colours of the flag.

Opinions between local councils are split over what to do about the flags in their areas.

On August 15th Birmingham City Council said: “People who attach unauthorised items to lampposts could be putting their lives and those of motorists and pedestrians at risk.”

The Reform UK-led Worcestershire County Council are taking a different approach, saying they will not take any flags down.

However their leader, councillor Karl Perks has spoken out on vandalism to roundabouts.

In a statement, he said: “What I cannot condone are acts of vandalism, costing taxpayers money. This is exactly what the illegal painting of red crosses on local roundabouts will do.”

“This act of vandalism will cost our county council money to rectify. As the cabinet member for highways for Worcestershire County Council, I will be seeking criminal damages so that every other taxpayer in the county does not pay for this.”