Yobs have torn down a St George’s flag from outside the home of Olympic champion Adam Peaty‘s mother before allegedly setting it alight.
Caroline Peaty, 59, captured the disturbing act on CCTV as two men approached her home in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, on Saturday night.
In the footage, one of the men can be seen climbing a lamppost directly outside her front garden and ripping down the red-and-white flag of England, which was later believed to have been burned.
Caroline, who did not put the flag up herself, proudly displays a Union Jack in her garden in honour of her son Adam’s three Olympic gold medals for Team GB, and as a tribute to her father and husband who both served in the armed forces.
Speaking after the incident, she said she was appalled by the destruction of the flag.
‘I was disgusted, really, because I’m proud of our country and I’m proud of the people that fought for our country,’ she said.
‘It’s nothing to do with racism, this is our country, lots of young men lost their lives for us to have the freedom to fly our flags.
‘It’s OK for [the vandals] to ruin people’s property, take things down without permission – so what does that say to our younger generation? That they can do what they want?’
Caroline said the flag in her garden was a deeply personal symbol that reflected not only national pride but also her family’s long-standing military background.
‘I am proud to wave the nation’s flag. I have it up to celebrate Adam’s achievements but also my family’s military service.
‘My father and my husband were in the military and I am proud of what they did and want to show that.’
In the footage, one of the men can be seen climbing a lamppost directly outside her front garden and ripping down the red-and-white flag of England, which was later believed to have been burned
Caroline, who did not put the flag up herself, proudly displays a Union Jack in her garden in honour of her son Adam’s three Olympic gold medals for Team GB
She added that seeing flags displayed in her area recently had given her a renewed sense of patriotism and unity.
Her comments come amid a growing national row over the display of English and British flags, which some have claimed are being co-opted by far-right activists.
Actor Ross Kemp, 61, best known for playing Grant Mitchell in EastEnders, recently addressed the rise in St George’s Crosses being flown from lampposts and painted onto roundabouts, amid a surge in protests over migrants being housed in UK hotels.
‘If it’s hijacked by other people for their means, then that’s entirely up to them, but that’s not what it means to me,’ he said.
‘It just means being English. I’m very proud of being English.’
Kemp added that the flag represents mainstream national pride and is regularly worn by athletes in sports like football and rugby.
His remarks followed the mass Unite The Kingdom protest in London, organised by anti-immigrant activist Tommy Robinson, where an estimated 150,000 people marched through the capital waving British flags.
Protesters also paid tribute to US conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead.
The rally, believed to be the largest right-wing protest in British history, came amid a push by grassroots groups to reclaim the flag and raise it across the country – even as councils move to take it down.
Birmingham City Council recently triggered backlash after it announced plans to remove hundreds of St George’s flags that had been tied to lampposts by a group of anonymous individuals calling themselves ‘proud English men’.
Officials cited health and safety concerns and claimed unauthorised items could pose a danger to pedestrians and drivers, even though the flags were attached around 25 feet above the ground.
Caroline, who did not put the flag up herself, proudly displays a Union Jack in her garden in honour of her son Adam’s three Olympic gold medals for Team GB
Caroline Peaty, 59, captured the disturbing act on CCTV as two men approached her home in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, on Saturday night
The Labour-led authority faced immediate criticism from residents, who pointed out that Palestinian flags had flown in the city for months without issue. The council had also lit up its library in the colours of Pakistan and India on separate days.
Internal correspondence later revealed that Birmingham Council needed police support to remove Palestinian flags, stating ‘issues that have cropped [up] when we first tried to take them down’.
Similar controversy erupted in east London’s Tower Hamlets, where workers were seen taking down St George flags linked to the fast-growing online campaign ‘Operation Raise The Colours’.
The same council had previously declined to remove Palestinian flags, saying it feared such action could ‘destabilise community cohesion’.
Elsewhere, councils across the UK have condemned the appearance of St George’s Crosses painted on mini-roundabouts near migrant hotels – part of what some have called a nationalist backlash, while others argue it’s simply an expression of patriotism.
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said: ‘We received a report at 9.20pm on Sunday (21 September) of a group of men removing flags and setting fire to them on Byrds Lane, Uttoxeter.
‘Officers attended the scene and reviewed CCTV footage of the area at the time. Anyone with any information which might help our investigation is asked to contact us.
‘Call 101, quoting incident 660 of 21 September, or use Live Chat on our website. To report anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.’
