ULEZ cameras were destroyed amid growing backlash over Sadiq Khan’s planned expansion of the zone

Newly installed Ultra-Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) cameras in south London have been vandalized as backlash over planned zone expansion continues to mount.

Four cameras at Abbey Wood, Greenwich, were snapped with cute cables and black-painted lenses as opposition to Sadiq Khan’s planned expansion of the ULEZ zone mounts and politicians and campaigners urge him to change his mind.

The London Mayor said the extension, which is set to cover the entire capital from August 29, aims to reduce air pollution in London.

The damaged Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras belong to Transport for London (TfL) and are said to monitor the ULEZ zone.

It comes after a surge in similar cases in the capital, with 300 additional ANPR cameras recently installed. Another 2,750 will be installed by the official launch date.

Newly installed Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) cameras in south London have been vandalized

Four cameras at Abbey Wood, Greenwich, were photographed with cute cables and black-painted lenses as opposition grows to Sadiq Khan’s proposed ULEZ Zone expansion

Other images have surfaced online showing cameras being ripped from their pole and thrown to the ground

Photos have emerged of a camera in West Sutton, whose wires were also cut, and another in Catford, Lewisham, with a lens painted black to obstruct the view. Others also show cameras being ripped from their pole and thrown to the ground.

Although cameras are being installed at a rapid pace in most areas, they have yet to be installed in Bexley, Bromley, Harrow and Hillingdon, whose councils are seeking to challenge the mayor to court over the proposals.

Currently, the ULEZ is restricted to an area within the North and South Ring Roads. Drivers who do not meet the minimum emissions standards will be charged a daily fee of £12.50 to enter the zone. The extension will make this area wider.

Londoners can apply for an income-related grant of up to £2,000 to scrap their non-ULEZ compliant cars or motorbikes. But the decision to push ahead with the expansion during the subsistence crisis was met with outrage

It comes after Honslow City Council was accused of hypocrisy after backing the expansion – and then asking for an exemption for its own 400 vehicles.

Hounslow council deputy leader Katherine Dunne wrote to the Mayor of London last summer raising concerns he would not be able to make all of his vehicles ULEZ compliant by the August 2023 deadline.

The council is one of 16 outer London boroughs to have backed the mayor’s plans to expand the zone and has already installed 37 ULEZ cameras on its streets.

Photos have emerged of a camera in West Sutton with its wires cut

Currently, the ULEZ is restricted to an area within the North and South Ring Roads

The London Mayor said the extension, which is set to cover the entire capital from August 29, aims to reduce air pollution in London

However, failure to comply would put further pressure on agency budgets, argued Miss Dunne.

Mr Khan has recently been heavily criticized for branding some ULEZ opponents as “far right” and “Covid deniers”.

During a heated People’s Question session in Ealing, west London last week, he said: “Let’s be honest, let’s call it a spade… some of those out there are part of the far right, some are Covid deniers, some are vaccine deniers and some are Tories.’

It also emerged that the Mayor has asked Transport for London to look into using ULEZ cameras to charge motorists in a pay-as-you-drive scheme in the capital.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk