POLICE are “actively investigating” after St George’s Crosses were painted across mini-roundabouts in Bath and North East Somerset.

Keynsham is one of many towns across the country where locals found that road markings had been painted to look like the English flag over the weekend. But Bath and North East Somerset Council has warned that the controversial phenomenon will cost council taxpayers’ money to clean up — and that the police are looking into the vandalism.

“Please cease defacing the town. It makes it look cheap,” said Keynsham South councillor Alan Hale (Independent Group) in a post on Facebook. In addition to the mini-roundabouts, one person with a can of spray paint wrote “This is England” down Goosberry Lane.

The Liberal Democrat leader of the council, Kevin Guy, added: “As a society, we have to draw a firm line between robust patriotism and the anti-immigrant nationalism demonstrated by many right-wing politicians.

“I’m proud that Bath and North East Somerset is a welcoming and inclusive community, which stands strongly against racism, xenophobia and all forms of intolerance.

“Our national flag represents those innate values of welcoming inclusivity. In no way would we ever condone it being hijacked by those who wish to use it to foster hatred, and foment division.”

What began with the flying of the Union Jack in Birmingham in response to a girl being isolated from school for wearing a dress of the flag in July, has morphed into the painting of the English flag on roads across the country.

It comes at the same time as a stark increase in hostility towards asylum seekers from much of the political class and protests against asylum hotels, but the original fundraiser for the Wythall Flaggers insists: “We are just patriotic and should be flying our beautiful flag.”

A spokesperson for Bath and North East Somerset Council said: “The removal of graffiti, stickers, and flags placed on public assets comes at a cost to the public purse. This cost is not only financial, but also importantly includes the cost of council officers having to divert scarce resource from delivering promised, needed improvements.

“It is a criminal offence to put non-approved markings on the highways, and the police are actively investigating recent occurrences. The safety of everyone using our network is our top priority, and any vandalism of signs designed to keep road users safe will not be tolerated.”

Mr Hale, who is the council’s member advocate for safer roads said: “There is also a road safety danger, particularly where people have defaced zebra crossings in other parts, offering a ready made stupid excuse for people to claim that they did not realise it was a crossing.”

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: “We are aware of a number of incidents over the weekend of St George’s flag being painted on roundabouts.

“Where offences such as criminal damage are identified, a proportionate investigation will take place and officers will follow-up lines of enquiry. We are working with the relevant councils who are dealing with the removal of flags or graffiti.”