A new union jack flag is flying above Borough Green library after the previous one was ripped down and burned.

Parish council chairman Mike Taylor was horrified to find the charred 6ft ensign and feared it may have been vandalised in a politically-motivated attack.

He was keen to ensure a new one was in place for Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day, especially given the added significance this year due to the centenary of the First World War and the end of the conflict in Afghanistan.

Cllr Taylor said: “Talk about down to the wire. We had the flag and a new rope by Wednesday but no way to put it up.”

Luckily for residents, the village Christmas lights crew were using a cherry picker to hoist up the lights on Saturday and leant a helping hand to raise the new flag.

Cllr Taylor added: “While I was waiting for them to go to the village hall, I took a couple of pictures of the lights going up. When I got to the village hall, Ray Chopping was standing at the entrance selling poppies in front of the newly raised flag. What a lovely sight. Let’s just hope it survives.”

He reported the vandalism on Tuesday, October 28 to police who came and retrieved the flag from the village’s library in High Street, as part of their inquiries.

They later made two arrests, a 14-year-old boy and an 18-year-old man, who have since been bailed while the investigation continues.