Climate activists let down the tyres of several cars in a Lancashire town, leaving notes telling owners “it’s not personal”.
Nearly 30 SUVs were targeted overnight, leaving people fuming as they struggled to get to crucial appointments and the school run.
Activists known calling themselves the The Tyre Extinguishers claimed they were responsible for the acts of vandalism against the “privileged” few who own the cars in Bacup.
One note left on an SUV posted to Twitter, said: "One of your tyres have been let down.
“It's not personal. It's your car. Look up Tyre Extinguishers.”
The group claimed responsibility in an email to the Manchester Evening News.
One victim said: “It's not just an inconvenience.
“My wife's pregnant and I need to get her to hospital at some point.
“If I can't do that because my car tyres have been let down, I've got to call an ambulance which takes that off of the road for somebody else, which is frankly dangerous and irresponsible."
On its website, the group claims it is aiming to make it impossible to own an SUV in urban areas of the UK, claiming they are unnecessary 'luxury emissions' contributing to air pollution and pose a danger on roads.
It says on its website: "SUVs and 4x4s are a disaster for our health, our public safety and our climate. Bigger and bigger cars are dominating our towns and cities, and all so a privileged few can flaunt their wealth.
"Because governments and politicians have failed to protect us from this danger, we must protect ourselves. We want to make it impossible to own a huge polluting 4x4 in the world's urban areas.
"We do this by deflating the tyres of these massive, unnecessary vehicles, causing inconvenience and expense for their owners."
The group goes on to claim that because SUVs are bigger and heavier than other cars, they are 'more polluting and use more fuel'. Hundreds of vehicles in affluent parts of London, Bristol, Cambridge, Liverpool and Brighton have already been targeted.
SUVs have grown hugely in popularity in recent years, to the point they’re now one of the bestselling new car designs.
Earlier this year EastEnders star Jessie Wallace slammed the “eco mob a******s" for deflating her Range Rover tyres.
The Tyre Extinguishers described the Kat Slater actor's expensive car “pure vanity” and said the 4x4 was “unnecessary”.
Taking to Instagram , she said: “These a*******s should be locked up for the chaos they are causing.”
She shared a snap of a notice that was seemingly left on the windscreen of her black Range Rover Evoque after her tyres were deflated.
“Attention, your gas guzzler kills,” the letter reads. “We have deflated one or more of your tyres. You’ll be angry, but don’t take it personally. It’s not you, it’s your car.”
