DEFIANT drivers have vandalised ULEZ “spy cameras” in protest at the expansion of the hated levy next week.
The policy, which charges drivers £12.50 a day to drive in London if their vehicle doesn’t meet emissions standards, has seen a strong backlash since it was introduced in 2019.
NewsflareDefiant motorists have put stickers over ULEZ cameras in protest at the upcoming expansion of the policy[/caption]
NewsflareOutraged drivers dubbed the devices ‘spy cameras’[/caption]
This has only intensified in the face of plans to widen the charging area, set to come into force on August 29.
Fuming motorists have now taken to putting sticks over the lenses of the number-plate recognition cameras that enforce ULEZ in the capital.
Featuring slogans like “ULEZ spy” and insults directed at London mayor Sadiq Khan, who has already pushed through one expansion, the stickers also prevent the cameras picking up non-compliant cars.
Posters have also been attached to the poles that the devices sit on, labelling them as “spy cameras”.
And fliers have been placed on nearby cars warning motorists of the potential cost that driving in the capital could inflict from next week.
It is not immediately clear whether this method of blocking ULEZ cameras is illegal.
ULEZ was introduced in 2019 in order to address air pollution in central London.
It originally operated in the congestion charge zone only, before being widened out to the North and South circular roads in 2021, making the charging zone 18 times bigger according to the RAC.
From August 29, it is set to be widened again to include the entire Greater London Area.
And similar policies, known as Clean Air Zones, have been implemented in cities like Birmingham, Sheffield and Bristol.
Several local authorities set to be affected challenged the plans, but the High Court ruled in Mr Khan’s favour.
Even now, a rebellion is brewing on the outskirts of the city as councils refuse to put up new enforcement signs.
It comes after it emerged that PM Rishi Sunak was blocked from preventing the expansion.
Meanwhile, a major loophole in the scrappage scheme designed to help drivers get rid of non-compliant cars could end up costing them a fortune instead.
NewsflareThey also placed fliers on nearby cars warning of the potential impact of the levy[/caption]
NewsflareULEZ was introduced in central London in 2019[/caption]
It is set to expand to the entire Greater London Area next week