ULEZ vandal claims to have torn down dozens of cameras in war on low emissions zone

A London driver claims to have ripped down more than a dozen ULEZ enforcement cameras in a one-man war against the city’s low emissions zone.

In a video posted on Twitter and viewed more than 30,000 times, the protester shows a shed filled with what appear to be the number plate recognition devices and says he pulled down the haul of cameras in half a day using readily available tools. 

He goes on to say that he’ll carry on doing it for as long as TfL continues to roll out systems for the expansion of the zone later this year.

The zone is due to be expanded in August to cover all 33 boroughs in Greater London and could affect the owners of up to one million non-compliant vehicles. The Mayor’s office insists the move is needed to cut air pollution across the city but opponents claim it is a money-making scheme which punishes the poorest motorists. 

Under the ULEZ rules, any vehicle that doesn’t meet certain emissions standards is liable to a £12.50 per day charge for entering the zone - a system that is enforced by the automatic number plate recognition cameras.

In the foul-mouthed rant against the ULEZ and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the vandal shows off his haul of cameras and declares “We’ll just keep taking them down.”

He adds: “It might take your blokes half a day to put one up, it takes me less than a minute to take one down.” before declaring: “This is our country and we’re taking back control”. 

Some commenters on the video have praised his actions, calling him a hero, while others have suggested his actions will simply end up costing taxpayers more money as the cameras are replaced.

Recent months have seen hundreds of new cameras going up around the city as part of the £200 million preparations for the ULEZ expansion in August. They have also seen gangs of protesters targeting the cameras, including cutting the cables, covering the devices with bags and boxes, or removing the pole-mounted cameras entirely. TfL said that more than 200 cameras had so far been attacked.

A number of local councils have also lodged legal protests against the planned expansion, questioning whether the Mayor has a legal right to extend the zone and raising concerns over the way the ULEZ scrappage scheme has been implemented. 

A spokesperson for the Mayor said: “People are of course entitled to show their opposition to policies peacefully and lawfully. But causing criminal damage is never acceptable. The Met are investigating incidences of ULEZ camera vandalism and arrests have been made.”

One person has already appeared in court in connection with damage to ULEZ cameras. They were charged with theft, criminal damage and handling stolen goods and are due to appear again in early July. 

The Mayor's office says that 90% of vehicles in the expanded zone already meet the ULEZ requirements, meaning their drivers do not need to pay the charge. However, there are still an estimated 300,000 vehicles which don't meet the Euro 4 requirements for petrol engines and Euro 6 for diesel, leaving their owners facing a £12.50 per day bill to use their car.