England fans told to ‘burn or shred’ St George’s Cross flags today

England flags will be flying high today following the Lionesses' dramatic penalty shootout victory over Spain to lift the Euro 2025 trophy.

The England women's team have won the Euros for the second time in a row in a tournament full of twists and turns and fans celebrated into the early hours thanks to extended pub opening times.

But after the celebrations finally die down, the question becomes: what do you do with all those England flags now? The ones currently flying from cars, draped from houses and otherwise flown proudly from any given surface.

According to The Flag Institute, there are actually rules governing how you dispose of any flag of the United Kingdom, whether it’s the Union Jack, the St George’s Cross or one of the other nation-states in the UK.

The ‘proper disposal of flags’ guidance says that when flags are being disposed of, they should be destroyed ‘in a dignified way’.

It explains: “National flags should never be flown in a worn or damaged condition, or when soiled. To do so is to show disrespect for the nations they represent.

“When a flag becomes tattered or faded and is no longer in a suitable condition for use, it should be destroyed in a dignified way, for example by burning, tearing or cutting into strips that no longer resemble the original flag.”

Of course, many will be dumping commemorative flags in bins but it might be better financial advice to simply save them somewhere for next time around - after all it’s only a year until the men's World Cup 2026 and two years until the women's World Cup 2027.

England fans erupted with joy across the country as the team defended their Euros title in a penalty shootout win over Spain in the final in Basel, Switzerland, on Sunday.

Chloe Kelly scored the winning spot-kick following two huge saves from goalkeeper Hannah Hampton, sending supporters in fan zones into raptures.

The King said the team had the royal family’s “warmest appreciation and admiration” following their victory, adding: “The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can.”