ULEZ expansion in chaos on first day as dozens of cameras destroyed & warring councils refuse to let Khan put up signs

A LONDON INTRUDER scheme was thrown into chaos on its first day as dozens of cameras were destroyed and hacked.

The borough also refused to allow Mayor of London Sadiq Khan to put up signs warning drivers of the extended zone which came into force today.

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Mayor of London Sadiq Khan’s expansion zone came into force todayCredit: Getty

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INTRUDER cameras in Bromley vandalized with red paint Credit: SWNS

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An INTRUDER camera in Harefield, west London, was switched offCredit: Facebook/Triangle News

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Protesters destroy cameras around townCredit: Facebook/Triangle News

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A caravan protesting against the introduction of an ultra-low emission zoneCredit: PA

The Clean Air Scheme imposes a daily charge of £12.50 on drivers of some older vehicles entering the capital.

As the expanded Ultra Low Emission Zone came into effect, some opponents took matters into their own hands.

Anti-INTRUDER protesters clashed with police outside Downing Street as tensions reached boiling point.

One man wearing a high-visibility jacket was dragged to the ground by police and restrained after a confrontation with officers before being pushed back into the crowd.

The cameras were destroyed in south and west London as other drivers taped their number plates to avoid detection.

Several cameras whose poles had been cut down had cardboard boxes next to them with the inscription No Trespassing.

In Hillingdon, West London, one witness who saw the remains of a vandalized ULEZ camera pole said: “So happy to see this in our beautiful Hillingdon village green! The air here is clean so he can leave…”

The other cameras were covered in stickers, rendering them useless.

All the cameras near the village of Harefield, in north-west London, are believed to have been targeted.

And of the seven boroughs in the neighborhood of London that are in the extended zone from today, six have not signed a contract with Transport for London (TfL) to put up warning signs.

This means many roads in London will not have the notices and drivers could be fined.

Kent along with Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Surrey and Thurrock councils refused to grant permission for the signs.

Only Slough reached an agreement with TfL.

The fee will only apply if the vehicle does not meet emission standards.

RAC spokesman Simon Williams said opposing the Mayor of London’s plan may not be the most effective tactic.

He told BBC London: “I think the boroughs who are contesting or fighting the Mayor of London should probably just ease up and give drivers a bit of advance warning.”

He added: “I think people need good advance warning of the fact that they are entering the ULEZ zone, so it’s time for municipalities to stop resisting and actually go ahead and put up signs so that everyone approaching the zone from all directions has proper warning. “

Khan has extended the scrap program to all Londoners who currently drive non-compliant vehicles.

An additional £50m has been earmarked for an initiative where Londoners can trade in vehicles in return for grants of £2,000 for cars and £1,000 for motorbikes.

However, there was no notification for people living outside London who regularly travel to the city.

Martin Gough, leader of Kent Council, said: “We are not prepared to enable a plan against the interests of our residents and for which the mitigation offered by others in London has not been offered.”

According to TfL, London’s deputy mayor for transport, Seb Dance, criticized the council’s decision, saying they were “letting residents down”.

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The extended scheme now covers all London boroughs

Dance also said councils should be held accountable if motorists were fined for failing to warn them about the scheme.

Previously, the mayor’s spokesman said refusing to put up the signs could make councils responsible for drivers not being “fully aware” of ULEZ boundaries.

They also pointed out that county highway authorities have legal obligations and that councils had rejected TfL’s offer to fund the cost of putting up the signs.

A spokesman for Surrey County Council previously said: “We have informed TfL that we will not enter into the Section 8 contract required to install signs and cameras on our motorways until there is any mitigation in place to minimize the impact on the people of Surrey.”

Buckinghamshire Council leader Martin Tett has also said in the past: “The council remains strongly opposed to the expansion of Intruders. We continue to call on the Mayor of London to stop the proposal to extend the zone to the whole of London until we have agreed mitigation for the thousands of residents and businesses who will be seriously affected.

“We need to see relief for Buckinghamshire people who have no choice but to travel to London to work or get NHS healthcare.

“We also remain very concerned about the impact on our local roads and local air quality if motorists wish to avoid the ULEZ charge by driving around the edge of the zone.”

Khan’s plans met with stiff opposition, with a group known as the Blade Runners sabotaging TfL’s equipment.

It comes as Khan’s Tory rival Susan Hall branded the ULEZ extension a “dark day for motorists”.

The scheme also ran into legal trouble after a key ruling said key signs for the sister scheme were not legal.

In July, five Tory-led councils in Greater London challenged the unpopular scheme in the High Court, but judges sided with the mayor.

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Khan’s Tory rival Susan Hall called the ULEZ extension a ‘dark day for motorists’Credit: Alamy

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