£6m flag trade in just eight weeks

An East End businessman has sold an incredible £6million worth of England flags - just eight weeks after going into the flag business.

Aggy Akhtar, 36, set up shop two months ago selling England's Cross of St George from an east London industrial estate.

Such has been the demand from a patriotic public intoxicated with World Cup and Golden Jubilee fever that he has sold everything he has shipped from his factory in China and is now flying in more stock.

Mr Akhtar, who employs six people, sells to a dealer who in turn supplies Woolworths and the main supermarkets. They quickly sold out of their first order of two million £2.99 flags and are demanding more.

Mr Akhtar said he was proud that the St George flag was associated with England's World Cup exploits rather than the British National Party's campaign in the north of England.

"Racists hijacked the flag, but we have taken it back this year," he said. "The flag is about celebrating being English. It's an identity, as is football."

It is a story repeated across the country as the World Cup has whipped Britain into a flag-flying frenzy. Fans have bought enough for every house in England with two million left over for vans, lorries and cars, The Times reported. The 30 million flags sold so far are an eightfold increase on the last World Cup.