At least six mini-roundabouts in Birmingham have been graffitied with red crosses to look like St George’s flags.

Roundabouts in the Kings Heath and Yardley Wood areas were painted overnight at the weekend, while a video on social media purportedly showed a man daubing others several miles away in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire.

It comes as hundreds of St George’s and union jack flags flown from lampposts by residents started to be taken down by Birmingham City Council last week, which the authority said was due to safety concerns.

Some residents described the painted traffic islands as “vandalism” but others have applauded the emergence of England flags in suburbs across the city.

West Midlands Police said it had not received a complaint but said it would investigate criminal damage if a report was made by the local authority or a member of the public.

One woman, who lives near a painted roundabout in Woodthorpe Road, Kings Heath, described it as “sheer, wanton vandalism”.

“The council doesn’t have the money to fix the potholes, let alone repaint mini islands.”

A man living close to the same roundabout said it was “not patriotic, it just feels like an excuse for xenophobia”.

“There are better ways to show pride – ways that are inclusive and respectful, not resorting to vandalism,” he said.

In recent weeks, the union jack and St George’s Cross have been hung in the Weoley Castle and Northfield areas of the city, which local residents said they were doing so in an act of patriotism.

But the city council had them taken down and issued a safety plea to residents thinking of attaching the flags to lampposts and other street furniture.

It said it was upgrading streetlights to energy-efficient LED lighting and because of this had so far removed about 200 banners and flags.

Flags have emerged in other areas, including Hollywood, Wythall and Barnt Green on the Worcestershire border.

Some people in the Weoley Castle and Northfield areas of Birmingham told BBC Radio WM they supported the flags being flown.

One woman said: “It’s patriotic, so I think it’s lovely. It represents us doesn’t it, Great Britain?”

Another woman said: “I think they’re great, [they] put a smile on people’s faces.

“They’re not doing any harm just flying in the wind, representing England, which is where we are, obviously.”

Another woman said it would “nice to see all different flags up” to show how multicultural the city was.

While a man told the BBC if the sentiment behind it was “anti-immigration”, he was “totally against” the flags being put up.

“That’s not a very nice thing to do,” he said.