Police minister Chris Philp is a member of an anti-Ulez Facebook group whose members have shared pictures of vandalised cameras, it has been revealed.
The group, “Croydon say no to Ulez expansion”, has 1,900 members along with six administrators, one of whom is mayor of Croydon, Jason Perry.
The private group styles itself as bringing “the community together to have one voice in telling the Mayor of London that we do not want this expansion”.
Although asking members not to encourage the vandalism of Ulez cameras, previous posts have included pictures of fallen cameras in the area, Inside Croydon reports.
Commenting on the group, Mr Philp, the MP for Croydon South said he “could not be held responsible for what others post” and condemned any criminal damage of cameras.
In a statement to the BBC he said: “I completely condemn law-breaking and criminal damage, including in relation to Ulez cameras, much though I disagree with Ulez itself.
“I have already publicly stated my opposition to, and condemnation of, criminal damage to the cameras.
“I cannot be expected to reply to hundreds or thousands of other people’s comments on social media platforms.”
Mr Philp previously condemned campaign groups who targeted Ulez enforcement vans.
The Ulez expansion was rolled out on August 29 but received large protests from residents in the outer boroughs who now need to pay £12.50 to drive non-compliant cars in the zone.
Since the rollout, there have been reports of numerous incidents of vandalism to cameras.
Earlier this month, it was revealed that 450 of the 1,762 cameras in the newly expanded zone were damaged or missing, according to Julie’s Ulez Map, which logs camera locations.
Analysis by The Daily Telegraph of the data found that one in four cameras across the expanded zone have been targeted, while six outer London boroughs have seen more than a third of their cameras affected.
When the whole of Greater London is considered, the map reported around one in five cameras were out of action, with 497 of 2,692 recorded cameras affected.
From April 1 to the end of August, the Met said it had recorded 510 crimes relating to the cameras.
A spokesperson for London mayor Sadiq Khan, said: “People are of course entitled to show their opposition to policies peacefully and lawfully. But causing or promoting criminal damage is never acceptable.
“All incidents of Ulez camera vandalism are reported to the police for investigation, arrests have been made and the Met and TfL are using new methods to catch those responsible.”
