Police investigating St George’s Crosses painted across roundabouts in Bath and North East Somerset

Bath and North East Somerset Council has warned that it will cost council taxpayers’ money to clean up.

A St Georges Cross painted on a mini-roundabout in Keynsham
Author: Ellie RobsonPublished 27th Aug 2025
Last updated 27th Aug 2025

Police are “actively investigating” the vandalism which show crosses painted across mini-roundabouts.

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.

“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 white spray paint wrote “This is England” down narrow footpath Goosberry Lane (see below).

"This is England\" painted on Gooseberry Lane in Keynsham

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.”

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.”

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