Shocking moment yob tears down St George's flag outside home of Adam Peaty's mum

CCTV footage has captured the moment two individuals removed a St George's flag from outside the home of Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty's mother, Caroline Peaty, before allegedly setting it on fire. The incident occurred on the evening of Saturday, September 21, in the town of Uttoxeter, in Staffordshire, where two white males were recorded approaching the property. One of the men is seen climbing a lamppost outside the front garden and tearing down the red and white flag.

Ms Peaty, 59, said she did not erect the flag herself. However, she displays a Union Jack in her garden, which she explained is in recognition of her son's three Olympic gold medals for Team GB and as a tribute to her father and late husband, both of whom served in the British military.

Caroline Peaty said following the incident: "I was disgusted, really, because I'm proud of our country and I'm proud of the people that fought for our country. 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?"

She explained that she has put up the Union Jack flag in her garden for a personal reason, in honour of her father and her husband, who both served in the military.

She added: "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."

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."

The incident comes amid increasing national tension over the public display of English and British flags. While some see the St George's Cross as a symbol of patriotism, others have expressed concerns about the flag being politicised and of sending a message of exclusion amid recent anti-immigration protests.