Flying the English flag on your car could lead to a £2,500 fine

9 July 2024, 11:49

Supporting your country by showing your pride in the form of flags could be expensive. Picture: Getty

By Tiasha Debray

You may be supporting your country by showing your pride in the form of flags and emblems for the Euros, but those very things could get you an expensive fine.

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With England heading to the semifinals of the Euros 2024, the Saint George's Cross has been flying high across the nation in support of the Three Lions.

While some fans show their support via clothing and hats, some footie admirers have decked their vehicles out in striking accessories- mainly flags.

If you plan to or already have a flag pitched on the back of your car, then just be careful because it could lead to a little bit of trouble.

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If your show of support hasn’t been properly secured to your vehicle, it can be considered obstruction and will lead to some pretty hefty fines.

England heads to the semifinals for the Euros 2024. Picture: Getty

Officers are within their rights to penalise drivers with an on-the-spot £300 fine for an “unsecured load,” but things can get a whole lot worse in court where penalties can reach as high as £2,500.

Just to clarify, driving with a flag is not illegal, but if the flag dislodges, malfunctions, breaks or results in injury or damage of any kind, you can get into trouble.

Just because it isn’t illegal, doesn’t mean you can go crazy with your decorations either.

No matter how much you need the world to know you’re a die-hard fan, government guidance has stated that flags any larger than an A4 sheet of paper have “more potential for problems,’ according to the West Yorkshire Police.

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Any flags displayed must be smaller than an A4 piece of paper. Picture: Getty

If you’re interested in decorating your number plates, maybe think again. There are very specific requirements for registration plates and not abiding by them can lead to fines that go up to £1,000.

The police often use ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) to identify cars across the country and even the slightest bit of decoration that covers up your plates or conceals them will get you in trouble.

So to summarise, hoist those flags and put up those decals to support your team, just make sure they never obstruct the driver's view, they’re not wider than your car, they’re secure and won’t cause danger to other drivers and they’re not larger than an A4 piece of paper.

And if you want to decorate your number plates make sure nothing interferes with the ability to read what's on your plates.