Local bureaucrats ban birthday pirate flag

STONE, England, June 5 (UPI) -- A British father thwarted from flying the Jolly Roger for his son's pirate-themed birthday party said he would like to make local officials walk the plank.

Richard and Sharon Smith, who usually fly the British Union Jack or the English St. George's Cross from their 18-foot flagpole in Stone, Staffordshire, thought that the skull and crossbones would be a festive touch for the party Saturday. But a neighbor complained to the local council.

Officials told the Smiths that they would have to apply for a permit, paying a $150 fee for an assessment of the flag's impact, The Daily Mail reported.

Richard Smith told the newspaper that his son, Morgan, who is turning 6, doesn't see the point of the party without the flag. He said they plan now to delay the party to see if they can get permission.

"If I had my way, I'd make them all walk the plank," he said. "It's not as though I'm building a huge, ugly extension on to my home which will blight the neighborhood. It's a simple child's pirate flag."