Oxfordshire County Council has warned it may seek a court order against the Raise the Colours organisation after supporters persisted in attaching flags to roadside locations.
The collective had previously received a formal legal warning prohibiting them from displaying flags throughout Oxfordshire from April 1 onwards.
This action followed members broadcasting live footage of themselves installing flags, with reports that local residents faced hostile and intimidating responses whenever they raised objections.
The campaign states it is erecting flags across the county as an expression of national pride, though critics have raised concerns about alleged aggressive conduct directed at members of the public and council employees by certain participants.
The local authority has now cautioned group members with plans to pursue a High Court injunction, noting that flags had been put up despite the prohibition.
During a broadcast last week, Raise the Colours co-founder Ryan Bridge appeared on camera displaying an urgent communication from the council, which he indicated required urgent legal advice.
Bridge had been detained in Oxford previously on suspicion of committing a racially and religiously aggravated assault on Wednesday, April 1 along Abingdon Road, Oxford.
A Thames Valley Police representative stated at the time that officers had begun an investigation after receiving reports of public order incidents on Abingdon Road, Oxford.
Investigators are examining those public order matters and took into custody a 44-year-old man from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, on suspicion of causing racially and religiously aggravated harassment, alarm or distress.
His detention on the Saturday followed reports of an alleged hit-and-run collision between a van and a pedestrian in Birmingham on Thursday, May 14.
An Oxfordshire County Council representative commented that the authority had dispatched legal documentation to individuals concerning the ongoing unauthorised placement of flags on or adjacent to public roads.
As the body responsible for highways, the council has a statutory obligation to maintain safety on roads and public infrastructure.
The authority has also documented cases of inappropriate conduct directed at staff and contractors carrying out their duties and bears responsibility for safeguarding its workers and the general public.
The correspondence demands that this practice ceases and requests confirmation that it will not recur. Should these commitments not be forthcoming, the council will evaluate additional legal measures, including pursuing a High Court injunction.
Liz Leffman, former leader of Oxfordshire County Council, commented at the end of March that the extent and relentless nature of this activity was impacting communities throughout Oxfordshire.
Oxfordshire values its multicultural communities and takes pride in becoming the first county council to achieve Local Authority of Sanctuary recognition.
The authority displays the Union and St George’s flags, which serve as visible representations of democratic values and togetherness. However, the prolific distribution of flags by Raise the Colours does not constitute a demonstration of patriotism.
Rather, it represents a form of coercion and fragmentation that is causing genuine harm to local communities. Residents have described feeling upset, unwelcome and insecure within their own neighbourhoods.