An anti-Ulez vandal has dismantled one of the scheme’s cameras in Bexleyheath, south-east London and replaced it with a Christmas tree.
Passing drivers saw the camera and its post unceremoniously dumped on the pavement on Erith Road, off the Barnehurst Road roundabout, next to a silver fake tree, which was left sticking out from the end of the bottom of the post.
The Blade Runners activists group claim to have destroyed some 150 of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) cameras which monitor traffic passing through parts of the capital.
Drivers of vehicles which do not conform to imposed emissions standards are charged £12.50 per day - but not if the cameras are out of action.
The Blade Runners have committed to destroying cameras for as long as Transport for London (TfL) persists with the scheme - which was expanded to cover vast swathes of the capital from August last year.
TfL, under the directorship of Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, has pledged to clamp down on polluting vehicles to improve air quality.
But the Blade Runners have pledged to continue with the action against Ulez which they have claimed forces the poorest to pay more and claim Mr Khan has lied about its merits.
A member, who calls himself ‘Ben’ and wears a mask during interviews, told Talk TV in November: “Unfair is not even scratching the surface [of what it is].
“It seems like the mayor's office and the Government are not doing anything for the people.
“If the figures and the statements that Sadiq Khan made were true then of course there would be merit, but he doesn't speak the truth about anything.”
A TfL spokesperson said: “Vandalism is unacceptable and all incidents on our network are reported to the police for investigation. Criminal damage to ULEZ cameras or vehicles puts theperpetrators at risk of prosecution and injury, while simultaneously risking the safety of the public. Camera vandalism will not stop the ULEZ operating London-wide. All vandalised cameras are repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
“We have an extensive camera network which is sufficient to support the effective operation of the scheme. Anyone driving a non-compliant vehicle within the expanded zone will be detected and we advise everyone to check whether their vehicle is compliant and to consider the various support that is available to help transition to greener modes of transport.”
TfL has previously said: “Londoners are developing life-changing illnesses such as cancer, asthma and lung disease, and there is a higher risk of dementia in older people.
“Air pollution even contributes to the premature death of thousands of Londoners every year. It's not just a central London problem.
“In fact, the greatest number of deaths related to air pollution occur in outer London areas.
“That's why the ULEZ has expanded across all London boroughs.”
