Seven-year-old forced to take down pirate flag after breaching advertising rules

A seven-year-old boy in the UK has been forced to remove a pirate flag after a local council decreed that the skull and crossbones flag design broke advertising laws.

The mother and stepdad of young Anthony Steele, who has Asperger syndrome, have been informed by their local council in the UK that their son needs advertising consent to fly the iconic pirate flag legally.

If it is not sought and granted, the family have been warned that they face court action and a possible fine should the flag remain flown in their garden.

"It's ridiculous. It's a child's flag. Who is it hurting?" exasperated mum Sara told The Sun. "We don't understand why it constitutes advertising when it is just a pirate flag in our garden."

“He likes playing pirates but we’ve told him we’ve got to take it down," added her partner Ronnie. "He doesn’t really understand. Neither do we.”

The official explanation for the bizarre ruling is that any flag which brings attention to a cause is deemed advertising. In the case of Anthony, his simple wish to play pirates with an actual pirate flag is - in the eyes of East Lindsey Council at least - a clear advertisement for the cause of piracy. Arrrr they taking the p*ss?