Police have been forced to issue a stinging rebuke to online chatter spreading rumours officers were seen taking down a British flag flying from a lamppost. Cumbria Police responded with a statement on X after images circulated online appeared to show a police officer on a cherry picker carrying out work near a Union Jack fluttering from a street light in Barrow, Cumbria.

Local councils and campaigners have clashed in recent weeks, with some local authorities taking down England and UK flags put up as part of a national campaign. One post of a photo of Cumbria Police officers shared on X, which garnered two million views, appeared to imply that police may also be removing the banners, with a caption that read "no time to investigate car crime or burglaries though". Responding to the post, one individual said "Why are the police doing the job of council workers?", while another added: "Which police force is so pathetic?"

However, clearing up the misinformation, Cumbria Police said in a statement: "We’re aware of some online rumours, to clarify, no flags were harmed during the CCTV installation.

The force added: "The photo shows officers fitting a camera at a local church after vandalism reports. The flag stayed put.

"Please share to help stop misinformation and keep the facts flying high."

National flags have been erected in towns and cities across the UK this summer, with large numbers in Birmingham, the Midlands, London and across the UK. The banners have been put up by organisers who say it is part of "Operation Raise the Colours", a national campaign to promote pride in Britain. The initiative has also spread to painting mini-roundabouts and pedestrian crossings in national colours.

The campaign has gained cross-party support from both the Conservatives and Labour, with Downing Street backing the right of people to fly their national flag. Reform UK has also vocally supported the scheme.

Elon Musk even threw his considerable online weight behind the initiative. The South African tech billionaire, 54, who has paternal English relatives from Liverpool, shared a picture of the St George's flag on his social media profile, which has more than 224 million followers.

He then reposted a mention from news site Visegrád 24, which captioned his earlier flag post with the words "Operation Raise the Colours has reached America"

Some quarters have raised concerns the flag flying could be linked to far-right ideology and be part of a wave of anti-migrant demonstrations sweeping the country. A number of local councils have sparked controversy after deciding to take down the flags from lampposts citing "health and safety" concerns.

Durham County Council issued a statement about the recent increase in the number of Union flags and St George's Cross displays. The Reform-led council said that while it understood and respected people's desire to display national pride, public safety should not be compromised.

It will take a "risk-based approach" and it will remove flags where they pose a danger to road users, obstruct visibility for drivers or pedestrians, or if they are poorly secured.