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Hundreds of ULEZ cameras have been stolen or destroyed in London, amid ongoing backlash to the low emission scheme.
So far, the group has targetted 387 cameras installed by Transport for London (TfL) between April and mid-August.
It comes as vigilantes who oppose the expansion of the eco-scheme said they would not stop until they had removed every ULEZ in the capital.
Common methods employed by the ‘Blade Runners’ include cutting the camera’s wires, painting over the lens, or completely removing the device.
Metropolitan Police said there have been around 185 reports of destroyed cables, 164 stolen cameras and 38 obscured.
Dozens of numberplate reading cameras have also been vandalised or covered up, according to TfL.
Footage emerged last week of a masked ‘Blade Runner’ using a tree lopper to cut a camera’s cables before destroying another nearby.
Diners at the unknown location watched on as the hooded figure walked away with the pruning tool in-hand, leaving the camera dangling in the air.
In another recent incident, a fellow vigilante was filmed climbing up a traffic light pole with what appears to be a drill and unscrewing a camera in Bromley, south London.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan last month announced the ULEZ expansion which he hopes will boost air quality in the capital.
Vigilantes, who oppose the expansion of the eco-scheme, have targetted 387 cameras installed since April
(PA Wire)
Launching on August 29, the new borders will reach Buckinghamshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent and Surrey.
Mr Khan previously described his decision as “very difficult” but insisted it would “see five million more Londoners being able to breathe cleaner air”.
Some 1,900 cameras have been installed in outer London so far and a further 2,750 are being fixed in new areas to be covered by the expansion.
TfL reported criminal damage and theft of its cameras to Met Police, prompting the force to launch an operation in April.
The cameras are now being fitted with wires that offer extra protection, including through the use of black metal boxes.
Cmdr Owain Richards, of the Met, said: “These are clearly unacceptable acts of criminality and we have a team of officers investigating and identifying those responsible.
“We are providing a proportionate policing response, balancing these incidents against the wide range of operational demand and crime we must respond to across London.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan last month announced the ULEZ expansion which he hopes will boost air quality in the capital
(PA Wire)
The force is working closely with TfL, alongside its investigation into previously committed offences, to identify new ways to prevent more cameras from being damaged or stolen.
“We are continually reviewing where we need to focus our efforts and we will continue to do that over the coming weeks to ensure we are providing the service Londoners expect from us,” Cmdr Richards added.
Scotland Yard released an image of a man they want to trace in connection with four camera offences in Hillingdon, Harrow and Uxbridge on June 17.
TfL said nine out of 10 cars seen driving in outer London on an average day comply with the Ulez standards.
Vehicles that do not meet minimum emissions standards are required to pay a £12.50 daily fee when used in the ULEZ zone, or face a fine.
Figures obtained by the RAC show more than 690,000 licensed cars in the whole of London are likely to be non-compliant.
This does not take into account other types of vehicles or those which enter London from neighbouring counties.
Motorcyclists opposed to the ULEZ expansion will ride together on the M25 on Sunday.
They will gather at six locations on the outskirts of the capital before descending on Surrey’s Box Hill.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/ulez-cameras-vandalism-blade-runners-b2392729.html
