Birmingham city council said its plan to remove British flags lining the streets will cost £2.6m.

The bankrupt council – run by a coalition of the Liberal Democrats, Greens and independents – last month launched legal action to ban raising Union Flags or St George’s Crosses.

Around 20,000 flags were installed on lamp posts across Birmingham as part of Operation Raise the Colours, a movement in favour of promoting national pride.

According to documents submitted to the High Court, removal will cost the equivalent of £132 per flag because of “safety concerns”.

Opponents of the removal project said taxpayers were “entitled to ask how spending millions taking flags down could possibly be the right priority”.

The council was forced to raise council tax for next year by 4.99pc, the maximum increase allowed without holding a referendum.

Operation Raise the Colours, an online “patriotism campaign”, emerged last summer and encouraged people to hang patriotic flags across England. Its co-founders are named in Birmingham city council’s documents submitted to the High Court.

Birmingham city council said it sought an injunction following claims that staff had been harassed while removing unauthorised flags.

Read More: Bankrupt council to spend £2.6m removing British flags from streets