Hoax council caller orders pub to cover St George's flag or face legal action
The caller threatened The Royal Oak with legal action if the pub failed to paint over the flag, which they said was offensive.
Petition
The pub refused the caller’s demands as the flag is hoped to drive sales during Euro 2016, and licensee Tess Simms’ son, Jack Simms, set up a petition to keep the flag, which stated: “The council have demanded my mum paint over the St George's cross on the front of the pub as it may cause offence, this is with less than two months until Euro 2016.
“They have been told the flag will not be painted over, and so have threatened with court through Warwickshire police. UNACCEPTABLE, SIGN THIS TO KEEP THE CROSS!”
The campaign was met with outrage in the community, and the petition has had 16,472 signatures and counting.
Hoax
But Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council claims the call must have been a hoax, as it never approached the pub.
According to a council spokesman, there was no problem with the flag, no need for planning permission for the cross and no laws have been broken.
Warwickshire Police backed up the council’s response, claiming they have received no complaints and have not issued any warnings.
No complaints
A spokesman said: “Warwickshire Police have not approached the Royal Oak pub regarding the St George's cross painted on the edifice. We have received no complaints and have not issued any warning to the proprietors. We have linked in with our partners from the council and the licensing office and we can confirm that no offences have been committed.
Tess Simms told the Coventry Telegraph: “It’s been up since before St George’s Day last year, so about 15 months. I’ve heard nothing before this. No complaints or nothing.
“Then I had a phone call from the council saying that they had a couple of complaints. She said she’d known cases go to court. I began to panic.
“The Euros are coming up and I’ve got to get people into the pub. I wouldn’t paint over it anyway. I rang the council to ask who rang me yesterday.
“They said they wouldn’t talk about it on the phone because the newspapers had called. They haven’t rung me back.
“I’m hoping it’s not a hoax. I’m hoping no one would go that far.
“You’d have thought they would have done something by now. I’m just hoping this all goes away now.
“It’s absolutely amazing that people would go to the page and put up the petition and sign. I didn’t think people cared that much.”
