A town's annual Remembrance Day poppy display which was cancelled after a council clampdown on Union Jack flying is now going ahead.

The decision comes after locals of Hoyland, in Barnsley, initially axed their poppy display due to the council's updated guidance on hanging unlicensed attachments on lampposts with road signs.

For the last three years Hoyland Remembrance and Parade Group (HRPG) have commemorated the deaths of 396 soldiers from the town in the two world wars.

They have done this by placing a large wooden poppy for each fallen soldier on lamp-posts along the one mile Remembrance Day parade route in the town which leads from the memorial to the town centre.

placeholder image — Poppies up around the town of Hoyland

But Barnsley Council's new guidance surrounding the Highways Act 1980 meant that almost all of the lamppost on the route were now unusable, leading them to cancel the display.

Now the council has since said it is "working" with the group to allow them to install poppies along the route in safe locations.

HRPG chairman Robert Hill said: "We are very pleased the council came forward with changes to allow us to continue our tradition of putting poppies up in Hoyland.

"Hoyland is very proud of its fallen heroes and we were all disheartened when we had to come to the decision to break our tradition in not remembering them in the way we normally would, through placing poppies holding their names on lampposts and road signage posts on the Parade Route.

"We are glad that the display will be going ahead."

The group said the initial heartbreaking decision to not put up the poppies followed the installation of flags on lampposts in Hoyland which took place earlier this year.

Members of the group reached out to the local authority about whether they could continue their tribute following online discussion about in wake of the recent Union Jack flag flying.

The council had told the group if they wanted to continue their tradition they would have to submit detailed application at least 10 days before installation.

They were also told to avoid using lampposts that carry road signage, and ensure all poppies are fixed just above head height to avoid volunteers using freestanding ladders or platforms.

But members said the rules have made the display "impractical", as most lampposts in Hoyland centre carry signs and would now be out of use leading them to cancel the display.

At the time a council spokesperson said: "The council's first duty is to the health, safety, and welfare of all highway users.

"The recent increase in unlicensed attachments to street lighting columns has prompted a review of our current processes and controls regarding any and all attachments to the council's network of lighting infrastructure.

The council updated its guidance on October 10 to ensure all lamppost installations are treated consistently following discussions earlier this year about the flags being erected.

Though they said the legislation regarding the safe use of street lighting columns has not changed since it was introduced in the Highways Act 1980.

They said the update was designed to keep all "highway users safe" even those wishing to attach items to the council infrastructure.

The council also advised that poppies should be fitted just above head height to make the process safer by removing the need for ladders or mobile elevated work platforms.

But since the council have now said the situation around the poppy display has been resolved and have confirmed it is now going ahead.

Coun Sir Steve Houghton CBE, leader of Barnsley Council, said: "After listening to the group's concerns and through continued discussion and agreement with our Highways team, we'll be working together to find safe locations to install poppies.

"This will include lampposts, and where appropriate, some posts with road signs as long as the safe and legal use of these posts is preserved.

"We value the dedication of groups that honour our fallen heroes, and we have always fully supported respectful poppy displays on street lights.

"We have recently updated guidance about how to do this safely, and as a result, Hoyland Remembrance and Parade Group announced they would not be installing Poppies in Hoyland this year.

"We said from the beginning that we were committed to working with community groups to ensure such tributes can be delivered safely and appropriately, and I'm pleased to say we now have found a way forward that we hope will now see the display go ahead."