A “Blade Runner” vigilante who claims to have destroyed more than 150 Ulez cameras says he has no plans to stop.
It came as the first fines imposed on motorists who have failed to pay the Ulez since it expanded across Greater London were due to land on doormats.
The father of three told how he vandalised cameras in Bromley in the dead of night – describing it as “unpaid voluntary work”.
Speaking to Talk TV, the unnamed man said the attacks on the Ulez enforcement cameras had ramped up since Mayor Sadiq Khan expanded his clean air zone across to the Greater London boundary on August 29.
He said he was prepared to risk going to prison. “We are reflecting the voice of the public,” he said.
“It started off as a small group of people and it has gradually grown. The numbers have increased significantly. We are like a pack of lone wolves. We sometimes work together. We work in isolation. We all have this common goal.
“We don’t disrupt the general public in their daily activities. We don’t block roads or glue ourselves to buildings. We target the camera network itself. Lawful rebellion is totally OK in my book.”
Asked if he had a message for the mayor, he said: “We are not stopping until you stop – that is the bottom line.”
During the first four weeks of the enlarged scheme, drivers of non-compliant vehicles who failed to pay the £12.50 daily levy received a warning letter rather than an £180 penalty from Transport for London.
But TfL has confirmed that the penalty regime started to be enforced from September 26 – with the first fines arriving in the post this week.
A TfL spokesperson said: “As with previous schemes we have exercised our discretion in the last month and some people have received warning notices but drivers need to be aware that they must pay the charge or face a fine.”
Petrol vehicles registered before 2005 and diesel vehicles registered before 2016 are likely to be liable for the charge. TfL expects the Greater London Ulez to generate £200m a year in levies and fines in its first two years.
The Met police announced earlier this week that it had recorded 795 crimes relating to Ulez cameras between April 1 and September 30.
This includes 200 reports of cameras being stolen and 595 cameras being damaged. The total number of cameras damaged or stolen is likely to be higher as a recorded crime can include multiple offences.
The Met insists that it treats Ulez vandalism serviously and had “deployed considerable resources” to hunting down culprits.
But only three people have been arrested – most recently a 52-year-old man apprehended in Bexley on September 22 on suspicion of criminal damage. He has been bailed until 19 December 19 pending further enquires.
