A PATRIOTIC former mayor has slammed vandals who stole his English flag and set it alight on St George's Day.

Granville Lord said he was flying the cross of St George to mark the patron saint's day, but would have removed it if had offended anyone.

He parked his Citroen Saxo at Burnley College, where he works as a communications officer, and the flag was stolen and set alight in one of the college's outdoor smoking shelters.

The 62-year-old former mayor of Padiham said: "It is criminal damage. It is also my culture that is damaged.

"There is nothing offensive about it. It is a day of the year where all sorts of people can come together and have fun.

"It is a fun day, not political and the idea of it all is to show some patriotism."

Mr Lord, who lives in Guy Street, Padiham, and was the town's first mayor for 28 years when appointed in 2002, contacted the police after the incident.

He said he was unsure whether those responsible were offended by the flag or were just mindless vandals.

He added: "If anybody was offended they could have spoken to me and I would have taken the flag off because I am not here to offend people."

A spokesman for Pennine Police said they were aware of the incident.

A spokesperson for Burnley College said: "We are looking into the matter but we are unable to comment further at this time."