Counter-terror police arrest two men after Ulez camera is blown up in London suburb

A 'low-sophistication improvised explosive device' was used to damage the camera in Sidcup

Since Ulez was expanded on August 29 there has been a surge in vandalism of the scheme's cameras. Reuters

Counter-terrorist police in London have arrested two men in connection with an explosion that damaged an ultra low emission zone (Ulez) camera.

Police said a “low-sophistication improvised explosive device” was used to damage the camera in Willersley Avenue, Sidcup, in the south-east of the city, at about 6.45pm on December 6.

The camera, which had been installed earlier in the day, had been cut down about one and a half hours before it blew up.

No one was injured in the explosion but vehicles and one home were damaged.

On Monday a 60-year-old man from the area was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or property, contrary to section two of the Explosive Substances Act 1883.

A 61-year-old man was also arrested in Horsham, West Sussex, on suspicion of conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life or property, and criminal damage, contrary to section one of the Criminal Damage Act 1971.

Both remained in custody at a south London police station and searches are under way at two addresses in Sidcup and Horsham.

Classic car owners affected by the Ulez expansion – in pictures

Trevor Manlow, 53, a motorcycle dealer in Hillingdon, West London, with his 2000 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide. 'It makes me angry, kids see these cars and bikes on the street and at shows and smile, they love it. However, the Ulez expansion is going to kill this.' All photos: PA

Paul Tucker, 52, a vehicle bodyfitter from Northolt, West London, with his 1998 Peugeot 106 Rally. 'I feel targeted, it's just another money-making scheme and if the mayor [Sadiq Khan] was serious he'd issue a complete ban'

James Stoddart, 62, a sunbed salon owner in Mitcham, South-west London, who has a 1985 Austin Mini. 'I'm absolutely fuming, it's a joke what the mayor is doing with this expansion and what he has the power to do in far-out places such as Epsom'

Peter McGeough, 80, a retired aircraft engineer, with his 1999 Volvo V70 in Greenford, West London. 'I've had to cancel the insurance on this car and get rid of it as I just can't afford an Ulez-compliant car'

Nicholas Stone, 24, a student at Arts University Bournemouth, with his family's 1998 Mazda Demio at their home in Epsom, Surrey. 'Our family would have driven this car into the ground if it wasn't for the mayor's new Ulez expansion scheme but we're having to part with it as a lot of our daily amenities are inside the new boundary'

Karl Amos, 53, a plumbers' merchant in Hillingdon, with his 1985 Classic Mini. 'When I first built this car from the ground up, I said I'd be buried in it and I'd never thought I'd ever have to consider parting with it – it's left me heart-broken'

Laurence McGeough, 52, a vehicle technician in Greenford, West London, with his 1991 Ford Fiesta RS Turbo. "At the moment I drive this car every weekend to classic shows to meet similar owners. After August 29, I'm going to have to heavily clamp down and consider when I take it out'

Richard Moore, 53, a motorway communication engineer from Hainault, East London, with his limited edition 1996 Vauxhall Calibra Turbo 4x4, says the expansion is 'the final nail in the coffin and I am looking to relocate my family and I to outside the new boundary'

Paul Robins, 60, a part-time plumber in Biggin Hill, Kent, with his Mid-2000 B10 3.3 litre, left, and Mid-2000 BMW 530i Touring. "If TfL [Transport for London] don't respond back before August 29 and deem the car Ulez-compliant, I'll have to consider signing on for unemployment benefits and give up the work I do'

Jay McDonald, 45, a haulier in Hayes, West London, with his 1986 Mark 3 Ford Capri. 'It's a tax on the people, it won't achieve anything more than putting money in the pockets of TfL'

Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry, Commander for the Bexley area, said: “The explosion could easily have had far more harmful consequences and today's arrests highlight just how seriously the Met is treating the incident.

“My local officers are continuing to work with and support the Counter Terrorism Command who are leading the investigation due to their specialism in dealing with incidents involving the use of explosives.”

After the incident a spokesman for mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “This grotesquely irresponsible behaviour puts both lives and property at risk.”

Mr Khan's decision to expand the Ulez area to cover the whole of London from August 29 has sparked a surge in vandalism of the scheme's cameras, which use automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology to identify vehicles.

Figures released by the Met in November showed nearly 1,000 crimes linked to Ulez cameras being stolen or vandalised have been recorded in the past seven months.

People who drive in the Ulez area in a vehicle that does not meet minimum emissions standards are liable for a £12.50 daily fee.

Figures show about 60,000 vehicle owners are now paying the daily fee to drive in the expanded zone.

Launched in 2019, Ulez is the world's first scheme that requires vehicles to comply with anti-pollution measures 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Separate from London's congestion charge, which is aimed at reducing traffic, Ulez is designed to cut air pollution in the capital by discouraging the use of high-emission vehicles by imposing a daily fee.

It aims to improve the health of Londoners by reducing the amount of particulate matter and nitrous oxide that they breathe.

In 2020, Ella Kissi-Debrah became the first person in the UK to have air pollution cited as a cause of death.

She died in 2013, aged nine, after suffering an asthma attack brought on by ingesting traffic fumes near her home in south-east London.