Road signs have been hit with red England flag graffiti in Reading at night as part of Operation Raise the Colours.
Masked men painted the St George’s cross, the flag of England, on road signs in Whitley in activism similar to what has been seen up and down the country.
St George’s cross was spotted painted on road signs at a roundabout for Northumberland Avenue, with crosses spotted on street signs for Long Barn Lane and Cressingham Road.
The graffiti was seen at the prominent junction where the former Whitley Library stands, which was converted into the Al Majid Centre mosque in 2022.
Reacting to the news, Barkat Ali, the founder of the centre, said: “There is such a lovely community. We have some people who are very odd, and I wonder why these people did this, I think the community has always been together to help each other and make it so nice. The security guard came.
“They [the people responsible] came round twice [on Sunday and Monday].
“We’ve got CCTV, and the security guard did come out to stop them, and the guy ran away.
“The night before [Sunday], they came with a paint roller and a brush.
“They have done damage, they shouldn’t have done that, and the police and the council are taking care of it.”
A Reading Borough Council street cleaner in a commercial vehicle was spotted at the roundabout at around 1pm today (Tuesday, August 26).
He said he arrived at around 11am and is due to remove graffiti at two more roundabouts elsewhere in Whitley.
A council spokesperson said: “The council is aware of several road signs and other highways assets being painted over the weekend.
“We appreciate people may want to show their patriotism, but we cannot condone this action which presents a safety risk to the public.
“The council will be removing the paint and repainting these assets.”
Operation Raise the Colours began earlier this month and has seen England and UK flags put up, and St George’s cross being painted on road signs throughout the country.
Putting graffiti on road signs is illegal as it is treated as criminal damage and vandalism.
Penalties for those prosecuted for graffiti can involve a £80 fixed penalty notice for minor offences, a fine of up to £2,500, or a prison sentence of up to six months
The Al Majid Welfare Trust took over the former Whitley Library building after it was selected as the purchaser of the building by the council’s policy committee in June 2020.
The library collection was moved to the South Reading Community Hub in Northumberland Avenue following a council decision in 2017.
