A group of Winnersh residents acted quickly to take down a number of St George flags that appeared in their neighbourhood on Saturday lunchtime.
The flags were placed alongside Hatch Farm Way near its junction with Lower Earley Way, just after noon.
The location is close to the Best Western hotel in Mill Lane, Sindlesham, that is currently being used to house asylum seekers.
An unknown small group of individuals used ladders to attach the flags to lampposts and fencing.
Wokingham borough council confirmed it had received a report of the flags to its anti-social behaviour team, but that the flags had been removed by the time its officers had arrived.
Thames Valley Police also confirmed it received a report from a driver who was concerned about a group being near traffic, but as no crimes were committed it was filed.
In fact, the flags were removed within minutes by a group of concerned local residents.
One of them told Wokingham Today how the news of the appearance of the flags was quickly shared on the neighbourhood WhatsApp group, and that the decision was taken to take them down.
The resident said: “We are a tolerant and welcoming community, and we felt the flags were sending the wrong message.
“We were getting a mixture of supportive honks from passing drivers as we took them down, as well as some verbal abuse that, I assume, came from people who thought we were putting them up.”
