THE cross of St George is set to fly high above the town hall in support of England’s World Cup campaign after a last-ditch effort from Colchester Council’s leader.

Tory councillor Vic Flores raised the idea of having the England flag at the iconic High Street building after being inspired by an internet post from a fellow forces veteran about the importance of flags and patriotism.

Initially, his effort seemed to be heading wide of the post when council officials told him no flags had ever been flown before in support of sports teams and would be unlikely to happen unless Gareth Southgate’s men made it into the showpiece final in Moscow in five weeks.

But council leader Mark Cory (Lib Dem) netted a last minute winner by agreeing the council could get behind the Three Lions by flying the flag of St George at the town hall ahead of their opening fixture against Tunisia tonight.

Mr Flores said he was delighted to get the go ahead.

He said: “Mark was very keen and once I spoke to him he agreed straight away and said he was going to speak to the officers.

“That is absolutely brilliant.

“I am really proud - it is amazing and I cannot believe it is the first time it has happened.

“Being ex-forces, flags are still really important to me.

“Sometimes it is good for there to be common sense and for things to be relaxed a little bit.

“It all came down to his decision and I am very grateful.

“He is a big football fan like me so afterwards we had a good chat about England’s chances.”

Mr Cory said he was keen to promote positive patriotism and was interested in potentially flying the flags of other nations on patron saint days and other special occasions or a rainbow flag during Pride celebrations.

Mr Flores, a former television camera man, has worked at three World Cups and spent a decade employed by Arsenal working closely with former manager Arsene Wenger and legendary players such as Patrick Vieira.

He is optimistic about England’s chances in Russia.

He said: “I think we are going to do better than people think.

“The system Gareth Southgate has chosen really suits the players and I think we can get to the quarter-finals.

“The group we are paired with, if we get into the last 16 means it will be a winnable game whether we come first or second.”

He added: “I’m still disappointed we cannot watch football on the big screen in Castle Park.

“We can go and watch the tennis from Wimbledon and The Greatest Showman but not England’s important World Cup games.”