The mayor of London’s office has denounced an extremely reckless assault where a camera used to enforce the city’s ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) was destroyed by what seemed to be a homemade explosive, putting lives in danger.

Downing Street and the Home Office did not have an immediate response to the incident. No 10 stated that it could not provide a comment due to an ongoing police investigation. However, it did express condemnation towards criminal behavior in general.

Although the Metropolitan Police does not consider the explosion in Sidcup, south-east London on Wednesday evening to be an act of terrorism, the investigation is being led by counter-terror officers.

Images shared on social media by residents in the vicinity depicted a significant indentation on a van, presumably caused by debris from the explosion, as well as harm to the window frame of a neighboring residence. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries.

A representative for London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, stated that this highly irresponsible behavior endangers both lives and property. The police are appropriately looking into this dangerous and thoughtless action.

A representative for Rishi Sunak stated that they were aware of the incident but did not want to interfere with an ongoing investigation.

Recently, there have been multiple acts of vandalism targeting Ulez cameras in all London boroughs since the expansion of the zone in August. This decision was met with opposition from Sunak’s administration, as well as Conservative members in City Hall and several Tory MPs.

According to data published by the Met in November, there have been close to 1,000 reported incidents of theft or vandalism involving cameras in the past seven months.

Susan Hall, who is running as the Conservative candidate in the upcoming mayoral election, strongly opposes the expansion and stated, “These accusations are extremely grave and I strongly denounce any type of vandalism. The most effective way to protest against Sadiq Khan’s unjust Ulez expansion is through the upcoming ballot in May.”

According to a statement from the Metropolitan Police, a simple homemade bomb caused damage to a camera on Willersley Avenue in Sidcup around 6:45pm on Wednesday.

The camera was set up earlier in the day, but was immediately taken down and later appeared to have been detonated.

Trevor Lawry, Deputy Chief of Staff, expressed deep concern regarding the deliberate placement of an explosive device in a public area. The potential for serious injury to members of the public is alarming.

The Ulez program’s goal is to enhance air quality by implementing a £12.50 fee per day for vehicles that do not meet emission standards when entering the designated zone. This is monitored through a system of cameras that recognize license plates.

Source: theguardian.com