Motorists in London were left baffled on Monday after a trio of organised Ulez vigilantes descended on a number of the clean air scheme's enforcement cameras to chop them down under the cover of nightfall.
In a coordinated attack on the cameras, three activists took powered circular saws to the poles as buses and cars filed past - and footage of the vandalism has gone viral online.
In the video from Uxbridge in West London, the Ulez lumberjacks can be heard starting up their electric saws as a cameraman says: "Let's enjoy the show."
Then, sparks fly as the "Blade Runners" begin to cut into the metal poles holding the Ulez cameras - as well as traffic lights.
The poles fall onto the pavements below before trio of camera-fellers flee the scene
The poles then fall onto the pavements below, before the cameraman and the trio of camera-fellers turn to flee the scene.
Footage of the incident, captioned "Must see: Blade Runners topple three Ulez cameras in a coordinated strike. The people are fighting back", swiftly went viral online.
So far, the video has received tens of thousands of "likes" and hundreds of comments from social media users - many of whom expressed their support for the vandalism.
One commentator said: "The people of every corner of the UK need to step up and follow the example of these Runners if they are going to have any chance of ousting their semi-fascist regime."
MORE ULEZ MADNESS:
The Ulez take-downs took place on the intersection of Cowley Road and Chiltern View Road/Cowley Mill Road in Uxbridge
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Though dozens more comments called the apparent vandals "heroes", one said: "Taking down the traffic lights is not helpful and only poses a risk to the public."
Then, on Monday morning, a passer-by reported the downing of the traffic lights to Transport for London (TfL), saying: "ALL lights on this major crossroads have been cut down... Very dangerous - very busy crossroad."
A TfL reply, promising a 24-hour turnaround time for the lights to be fixed, said: "This has now been investigated and we can confirm that there is a fault with these traffic lights. We have therefore passed this to our contractors and as it is classed as an emergency."
The Ulez take-downs took place on the intersection of Cowley Road and Chiltern View Road/Cowley Mill Road in Uxbridge, North-West London.
And it's certainly not the first time that members of the public have taken to vandalising the cameras - which were installed across the outskirts of London last year after Mayor Sadiq Khan controversially extended the Boris Johnson-era clean air scheme.
Ulez penalises owners of vehicles which don't meet certain environmental standards with a £12.50 daily charge.
But the levy has been criticised as unaffordable and unsustainable since its Greater London-wide rollout in August 2023.
A TfL spokesperson told GB News: "Vandalism is unacceptable and all incidents on our network are reported to the police for investigation.
"Criminal damage to Ulez cameras puts the perpetrators at risk of prosecution and injury, while simultaneously risking the safety of the public.
"Camera vandalism will not stop the Ulez operating London-wide. All vandalised cameras are repaired or replaced as soon as possible.
“We have an extensive camera network which is sufficient to support the effective operation of the scheme.
"Anyone driving a non-compliant vehicle within the expanded zone will be detected and we advise everyone to check whether their vehicle is compliant and to consider the various support that is available to help transition to greener modes of transport."
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson told GB News: "Police were called to the junction of Cowley Road and Chiltern View Road, Uxbridge shortly after 10.10pm on Monday, June 17, following reports that traffic lights and Ulez cameras had been damaged.
"An investigation has been launched. No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing."
