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Hundreds of Ulez protestors have blocked “every single camera” in a London borough as the uproar over Sadiq Khan’s controversial scheme continues.
400 people took to the streets across Sutton in South London on Sunday in demonstrations which saw over 80 cameras covered up.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) was extended across the capital last year in a move that saw close to 90 per cent of Sutton covered by the scheme overnight.
Ulez regulations mean drivers of ‘non-compliant’ vehicles would have to pay a daily charge of £12.50 – which saw fierce opposition among the public.
Protestors slammed Ulez
PA
Protester Neil Gosling told GB News: “We are protesting today because we all want clean air, but Sadiq Khan cannot do anything but lie.
“I’ve got several non-compliant vehicles that all meet EU emissions but don’t meet TfL’s emissions. I’ve got motorcycles that are non-compliant that are beneath the level, but it’s just about trying to stop this tyranny and have a democratic vote on it.
“This isn’t about clean air – this is about £12.50 and £90 fines. It’s about money for TfL, nothing else, and we all know it. Let’s just play fair. We’ve got low emission vehicles; I’ve got a Fiesta that’s £30 a year road tax because it’s so low emission – and that’s not allowed in London.
“50CC mopeds are not allowed in London, but I can go down the road and buy a new five-litre Lamborghini and that’s compliant, as is Sadiq Khan’s five-litre Range Rover. It’s all false. It’s all false and I want it to end – let’s bring back British democracy.”
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Protestor Neil Gosling told GB News: “This isn’t about clean air… It’s about money for TfL, nothing else.”
GB News
Yesterday afternoon’s protests saw residents holding up signs to block Ulez cameras, allowing motorists to drive through Sutton without incurring any charges.
Activists at Sutton’s Rosehill Roundabout were met with supportive beeping from passing drivers – even those in ‘compliant’ smaller cars.
The Ulez scheme had been criticised for penalising everyday motorists amid a cost-of-living crisis, with some drivers having to take out loans just to afford compliant vehicles.
Kingsley Hamilton, a bus driver and campaigner from the Action Against Unfair Ulez group, said the protest left every single camera across the borough out of action.
Other groups covered up Ulez enforcement cameras with protest placards like this, though Hamilton said deactivations were “nothing to do with us”
X/BromleyAgainstUlez
Hamilton said there were 107 cameras across Sutton,and a combination of yesterday’s protests and previous camera deactivations meant they were all accounted for.
He told the Telegraph: “We’ve put messages out on social media advertising the fact it is only for three hours, so drivers can do what they would normally do – like visit a relative in hospital, without being fined.”
A Met Police spokesperson said: “Police are aware of a protest at the Rose Hill Roundabout in Sutton today, Sunday 11 February. The protest passed peacefully and no arrests were made. The group have now left the area.”
A Mayor of London spokesperson told GB News: “The vast majority of vehicles – 95 per cent – seen driving in the Ultra Low Emission Zone on an average day are already compliant and will not have to pay a penny.
“The Mayor has been clear that the decision to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone London-wide was not an easy one, but necessary to tackle toxic air pollution, which is leading to children growing up with stunted lungs and thousands of people in our city developing life-changing illnesses, such as cancer, lung disease, dementia and asthma.
“Causing criminal damage is absolutely unacceptable and all incidents of ULEZ camera vandalism are reported to the police for investigation, with damaged or destroyed cameras swiftly replaced.
“Criminal damage will not stop the ULEZ operating though it could endanger the safety of vandals and the public.”
But Hamilton said his group was acting within the law; camera deactivations in the borough were “nothing to do with us” and his group “are not condoning any criminal activity”, he told the Telegraph.
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