England fans drape historic Westbury Horse in giant St George’s flag… only for council jobsworths to tear it down
Brits reacted in horror on social media and said the show of support was harmless blasting busybodies for removing the national emblem
WESTBURY'S White Horse was turned into a giant England flag by patriotic footy fans today - only for "jobsworth" council workers to pull it down hours later.
Stakes were hammered into grass around the landmark in the hills of Westbury, Wilts - and the crimson tape stretched across.
But by 9.30am, just three hours after it was first spotted it had been taken down.
Brits reacted with disappointment on social media and said the show of support was harmless.
Westbury Town Council distanced itself from the decision, writing on Facebook: "The red cross that was added to the White Horse has been removed this morning and this was at the request of English Heritage, who own the site."
Hellen Evans, 51, photographed the tape's removal.
She said: "At 9.30am this morning I spotted council workers removing the cross.
"I was just up there having a look as a friend had mentioned it.
"It's stakes in the grass [and is] not touching the horse itself!"
One person said on Facebook "What? Surely no harm done?" after it the red tape was removed.
Another said: "What harm was it doing? At least it wasn't permanent. U watch someone will paint it on now."
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A commenter added: "Shame they could have left it for a couple of days, what harm was it doing."
A spokesperson for English Heritage said: "We fully support the England football team and wish them the best tomorrow.
"And it's great to see people coming up with ingenious ways to show their support but we do need to make sure that the Westbury White Horse is not damaged in the process."
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