Tampering fears as Margaret Thatcher half-mast flag flies upside down
A flag flying at half-mast as a mark of respect for Baroness Thatcher may have been tampered with so it ended up upside down.
Shropshire Council says it has been left baffled at how the Union Flag at Edinburgh House in Wem could have ended the wrong way up.
Eagle-eyed residents noticed the flag was upside down over the weekend, leading to the council changing it yesterday.
The authority says it will be keeping an eye on all of its flags following the incident in Wem.
Shropshire Council and a number of town councils have lowered their flags ahead of Lady Thatcher's funeral tomorrow.
The Union Flag at its Shirehall headquarters has been at half-mast since her death following a stroke last week.
The former Prime Minister will be laid to rest with a televised ceremonial funeral, at St Paul's Cathedral and will be attended by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.
Pauline Dee, a Shropshire Council member for Wem, said: "I think it's very sad people have got the time to waste to do something like that.
"Whether people liked her or not it's very sad people can't respect someone who has died. She obviously did her best."
Councillor Dee also raised concerns that Lady Thatcher's funeral could be disrupted on Wednesday. Simon Alton, Shropshire Council spokesman, said: "The flag has a 'toggle' at the top which ensures it is the correct way up when flying, so we are unsure how it came to be upside down.
"We have now changed it so it is flying the right way up. It's possible the flag may have been tampered with over the weekend, so we will keep a check on this."
