Police could now be called on to protect highways contractors as they remove St George's flags from lampposts in Hertfordshire, following incidents where workers have been verbally abused and spat at.

The county council has already stepped up efforts to remove hundreds of the red and white flags that have been appearing on lampposts across the county since August.

But on a number of occasions, contractors have had to leave flags flying after being verbally abused, spat at or threatened with being identified on social media.

And now the county council is set to call on officers from the Hertfordshire Constabulary to ensure workers can safely remove the flags whenever necessary.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that the constabulary will now be routinely told where the works are scheduled in advance.

And police could then be called on to ensure the workers are safe, whenever necessary – or to investigate any reported incidents.

Confirming the involvement of the police, a spokesperson for the county council said it was "completely unacceptable" for frontline workers to be subjected to abuse and threatening behaviour.

"Sadly, when our crews began to take flags down earlier in the month, there were instances of abuse and threatening behaviour by some members of the public," they said.

"It is completely unacceptable that our front-line workers were subjected to this sort of behaviour for simply doing their jobs.

"As a result, we have reviewed our approach, and we are working closely with the police to ensure the safety of our workforce whilst they remove flags.

"We recognise the divergence of views and the strength of feeling felt by residents on this topic.

"We will not tolerate any abuse directed towards our front-line colleagues, and any criminal behaviour will be reported to the police."

Initially – when the flags started to appear in August – the council had intended to remove the flags only as part of their routine maintenance.

But now teams of contractors are being specifically tasked with removing the flags to speed up the process.

Executive director for community protection Alex Woodman says they have stepped up the ongoing work in response to mounting concerns from residents.

He acknowledges that some residents see the appearance of the flags around the county as no more than a celebration of the flag.

But he says others feel intimidated by the way that it is being used and feel that there is an implied underpinnning threat.

And he says the chief constable has agreed to make officers available to support contractors, if required.

Meanwhile, Hertfordshire Constabulary has also confirmed that they are "liaising with the county council as they work to ensure their workforce is safe".

And a spokesperson for the constabulary said: "Herts police is liaising with the county council as they work to ensure their workforce is safe.

"We would appeal to anyone to report incidents of threatening behaviour to police online, via 101 or using 999 if it is a crime in action."