Local residents furious after council BANS England flags ahead of World Cup clash: 'It is a JOKE!'

Local residents furious after council BANS England flags ahead of World Cup clash: 'It is a JOKE!'

Residents of a Northwich street have been left furious after Cheshire West Council ordered them to take down their England flags just days before the Three Lions' crucial World Cup semi-final clash. The Labour minority-run authority has demanded that householders on Church Road remove their patriotic displays ahead of Wednesday's showdown with Argentina. Not a single resident on the flag-adorned street supports the council's decision. The road is currently decorated with Union flags and the Cross of St George, put up when the tournament began last month. Locals have branded the council "killjoy" bureaucrats, arguing officials should focus their attention on more pressing matters rather than dampening national spirit during England's best World Cup run in decades. Thomas Tuchel's squad will take on the reigning world champions at Atlanta's 75,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with football's ultimate prize tantalisingly close. England secured their place in the last four following Jude Bellingham's stunning double, which powered a remarkable comeback victory over Erling Haaland's Norway in Miami on Saturday. Argentina progressed through extra time in their quarter-final encounter, defeating Switzerland 3-1 in Kansas just hours later. Should England overcome Lionel Messi and his teammates, they would face either France or Spain in the final. An estimated 25 million supporters across the nation are expected to tune in to BBC One coverage, watching from pubs and living rooms alike. The final is just one week away. Local hairdressers Ashley Arnold, 32, and Kirstie Jackson, 33, expressed disbelief at the council's stance. "The flags went up last month at the start of the tournament. It's only another week until the World Cup final why make a fuss about it," said Arnold. "It's good to be patriotic in the USA they fly their flags everywhere. The boys have been brilliant and we should all be right behind them." Jackson added: "Why shouldn't people be allowed to su