A group of climate protesters have struck again in Bristol after deflating the tyres of 40 vehicles in one area of the city overnight.
The Tyre Extinguishers "disarmed" - as they put it - 40 SUVs in Clifton on Wednesday night (June 15) to highlight their aim to ban the vehicle in cities. This protest means the leaderless group has now passed the threshold of 5,000 SUVs targeted across the UK and even further afield as the movement spreads across Europe.
Marion Walker, Tyre Extinguishers spokesperson, said "5,000 SUVs is just the beginning. Once you start noticing the way these huge death machines dominate our cities, you can't unsee it. We expect more and more people to take action until it's impossible to own an SUV in the world's urban areas."
Who are they? The activists who deflat tyres on SUVs to 'protect the enivronment'
SUVs feature elements of standard cars but are generally less fuel-efficient than other cars. The environmental group have more than doubled the number of SUVs targeted in just two months as London, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Liverpool and Manchester are among some of the cities targeted - they targeted Clifton only last month deflating tyres on 50 SUVs.
'Copycat' groups such as The Deflationists (Glasgow) the DunDeeFlators (Dundee) and the ‘Reifenbande Wien’ (Tyre Gang Vienna) have sprung up too. The Tyre Extinguishes have said they are happy for anyone to use their tactics and provide information on how to disarm SUVs on their website.
The vehicle type continues to be popular across the UK despite its harmful effects on the environment, including air quality. Avon and Somerset Police's neighbourhood team in Stoke Bishop issued a statement last month stating that vehicles are being targeted in "more affluent areas".
It stated: "We have been made aware of a group of activists who call themselves the Tyre Extinguishers. This group target SUV & 4X4 type vehicles and will deflate the tyres on these, causing a nuisance to the owner to reflate the tyre.
"At present, they are mainly operating in the Clifton, Redland, Cotham and Stoke Bishop area as these are affluent areas. Advice from the police at the moment is to report any incidents to us, even if no crime has been committed, it is good for us to log the incidents so we can see patterns in behaviour.
"You can purchase anti-theft dust caps which will ensure this group cannot deflate your tyre in the future. If you have a driveway, park your vehicle there instead of on the road."
The Tyre Extinguishers want to see bans on SUVs in urban areas, pollution levies to tax SUVs out of existence, and massive investment in free, comprehensive public transport. The group promises its action will continue until politicians make their demands a reality.
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