A heated row has been unfurled in Alton over dozens of Union Flags and St George’s flags tied to lampposts across the town.

Some residents have supported the displays, while others have branded them as “xenophobic” and “intimidating”.

Hampshire County Council has confirmed it will only remove the flags if they obstruct the highway, interfere with signage, or if police advise they pose a threat to public safety or order.

The dispute erupted this week after the Herald published a letter from long-standing resident John Jacobs, who said he was “appalled and ashamed” by the displays.

“This is not an expression of patriotism,” he wrote. “It is a nasty expression of xenophobia, designed to discomfort and intimidate any non-white British person.”

Mr Jacobs, who has lived in the town for 40 years, said Alton had always been friendly and welcoming to newcomers and called for the flags to be removed to reflect “our true British qualities of fairness, justice and kindness to all who live here”.

While lampposts in the High Street and Normandy Street are displaying only Christmas lights, the flags appear a short distance away on Anstey Road, just beyond the junction with Littlefield Road.

Another resident, Harry Bennett, said the unauthorised display of flags on public lampposts had become a “significant local issue”.

He said they had been attached illegally for months in breach of the Highways Act 1980 and followed painted crosses that appeared on roundabouts earlier in the year.

“These displays appear designed not to celebrate but to intimidate members of our community,” he said. “The council’s inaction in removing them has left many residents frustrated and concerned.”

Mr Jacobs’ letter sparked a huge debate on social media, with many comments voicing support for the flags as symbols of pride rather than xenophobia.

For example, Lynne Smith said she did not believe the flags symbolised hate, adding that “British people are fed up with everyone in power apologising for us being British”.

Rita Black said: “In America and Australia people have their flags in their gardens and property. What is the problem with our flag being displayed on lampposts? Being proud of your flag does not make you a racist.”

Hampshire County Council leader Cllr Nick Adams-King said the authority was taking a practical and proportionate approach, with flags being removed only where they obstruct signage or sight lines, or on police advice.

With winter weather setting in and some flags already deteriorating, he added that he hoped those who erected them would take responsibility for removing any that became an eyesore.

East Hampshire district councillor Ginny Boxall, speaking as an Alton resident, said the Union Flag and St George’s Cross were national symbols that belonged to everyone and could evoke pride and unity.

However, she said the unauthorised displays had also caused genuine concern and, for some residents, a sense of intimidation.

She said she supported flags being flown over civic buildings for special occasions and by individuals on private property, but said she was troubled by the number of residents who had contacted her to say they no longer felt welcome in the town.

“I’m proud of Alton’s welcoming community,” she said. “We have a long history of welcoming those fleeing persecution and war, and long may that continue.

“At Christmas time, I'm reminded of the Saviour and his family becoming refugees to escape Herod,” she added.

“Alton is a great town and place to live. I’m hoping the flags very soon become old news and disappear for good from our lampposts. Let's focus on the things that bind us together, not draw us apart.”