A six-year-old girl has been injured in a crash after Ulez Blade Runners vandalised traffic lights after while a Ulez camera.
The anti-Ulez activists have cut down up to 10 cameras within a five-mile radius around Orpington, Bromley, and Lewisham.
Police confirmed an accident took place in which a six-year-old girl was injured. They also said they were investigating five reports of Ulez cameras or traffic lights being vandalised overnight in the Orpington area.
Residents in Orpington took to social media on Thursday, posting images of traffic lights and a Ulez camera destroyed on Court Road.
Nikita Louise posted on Facebook: "I understand the cause with the Ulez cameras but cutting the actual lights is quite frankly idiotic, it's going to cause carnage and accidents.
"Let's hope none of the "blade runners" families are involved in any crashes that occur due to them cutting the lights down across the whole of Orpington & Chislehurst/Bickley, wonder if they'd feel guilty then that their the cause...... Seen kids this morning trying to cross the roads but they can't cause no one is stopping to let them cross, seen a few near misses on my way into work as well."
Chief Inspector Priya Shome, based in Bromley, said: "We are investigating the criminal damage to five sets of traffic lights in the Orpington area overnight which has caused major traffic-management issues.
"Two police units, who should have been available to answer 999 calls, were instead required to spend the morning managing traffic.
"The people who are carrying out this criminal damage are putting the public at risk. This morning, there has been a collision between two cars on Court Road, at the location of one of the damaged traffic lights, in which a child was injured.
"I would urge the people carrying out these crimes to stop immediately and think about the danger they are causing to road users."
Who are the Ulez Blade Runners?
A group of activists who have named themselves the "Blade Runners" have orchestrated a campaign of vandalism against Ulez cameras.
One member told the MailOnline last year that he had stolen 34 Ulez cameras, and that he was part of a group of more than 100 people covering different areas across London.
"In terms of damage, it’s way more than what [Khan and TfL] have stated. It’s at least a couple of hundred," he said.
"Snipping, damaging with hammers, painting, disabling on a circuit level and removing. They are unbolted and they are snipped.
"The tools they use to install them are the ones we use to remove it. We don’t want this. It’s a way to try to… restrict our movements.
"F**k them. It will not happen because we haven’t done anything to deserve it."
The Ulez (Ultra Low Emission Zone) scheme aims to improve air quality by charging a £12.50 daily fee to enter the zone for vehicles that do not meet emissions standards. It operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year, except Christmas Day (December 25). The Ulez zone operates across all London boroughs, and does not include the M25.
