Sadiq Khan condemns ‘grotesquely irresponsible’ ULEZ camera explosion in Sidcup
An explosion that damaged an Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) camera and nearby vehicles in southeast London has been branded “grotesquely irresponsible” by the mayor of London’s spokesman.
The blast, which happened at around 6.45pm on Wednesday evening, damaged an ULEZ camera in Sidcup.
No one was injured from the explosion, but vehicles and a residential property were damaged.
The Met Police said a “low-sophistication improvised explosive device (IED)” was used to carry out the attack.
“This grotesquely irresponsible behaviour puts both lives and property at risk,” Sadiq Khan’s spokesman said.
“Police are rightly investigating this dangerous and reckless act.”
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‘Shrapnel everywhere’ after ULEZ camera blast
Counter Terrorism Command officers said that while the incident is not being treated as terrorism, it is believed to have been a “deliberate act”.
The camera – installed earlier the same day – was cut down at around 5.15pm, an hour-and-a-half before the explosion, the police said.
Officers are “keeping an open mind as to whether or not there is a connection between the camera being cut down and the planting of the explosive device”.
Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry added: “It is extremely concerning that an explosive device seems to have been deliberately placed in a public place.
“This could have very easily resulted in members of the public being very seriously injured.
“Because of the seriousness of this incident, we are making urgent inquiries to try and identify anyone involved, and officers with specialist expertise and capability from our Counter Terrorism Command are leading the investigation.
“This was an extremely dangerous incident that could have resulted in innocent members of the public being injured or worse.”
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Pic: @dannydervito/X
Jasmine, who lives in the area and was driving nearby at the time, told Sky News the “explosion was deafening and at first I thought it was some sort of bomb that had gone off”.
She added that a van parked nearby was “damaged quite badly” and her car was “covered in debris”.
The Ultra Low Emission Zone, introduced with the aim of improving air quality in London, was expanded on 29 August.
Motorists who drive heavily polluting vehicles, usually older or diesel cars, have to pay a £12.50 daily fee to drive in the zone.
The cameras record the movements of vehicles into and around the charging zone.
Mr Khan said expanding ULEZ was a “difficult” but “vital” decision.
Polling from YouGov between 12 to 17 October suggests Londoners are split on ULEZ, with 40% supporting the policy and 40% opposing.
The poll, which surveyed 1,066 Londoners, found 16% neither support nor oppose it.
UK drivers are “confused” by the country’s electric car transition, ministers are being warned.
Although most drivers are not hostile towards electric vehicles (EVs), many are confused about what changes are coming and when, according to new research from the AA.
In a survey of more than 14,000 AA members, 7% thought the government was banning the sale of used petrol and diesel cars.
Around a third thought manual EVs exist, despite them all being automatic.
More than one in five said they would never buy an EV.
The government’s plan for increasing the number of electric vehicles being driven in the UK focuses heavily on increasing the supply of the vehicles.
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What you can do to reach net zero
In 2024, at least 22% of new cars and 10% of new vans sold by each manufacturer in the UK had to be zero-emission, which generally means pure electric.
Each year, those percentages will rise, reaching 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans in 2030.
Manufacturers will face fines of £15,000 per vehicle if electric vehicle sales fall short of 28% of total production this year.
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By 2035, all new cars and vans will be required to be fully zero emission, according to the Department for Transport.
Second-hand diesel and petrol cars will still be allowed to be sold after this date, and their fuel will still be available.
There are more EVs – but will people buy them?
In February, 25% of new cars were powered purely by battery and in January, they made up 21% of all new cars registered in the UK.
But despite the growth of electric sales, manufacturers continue to warn that the market will not support the growth required to hit government EV targets, and called for consumer incentives and the extension of tax breaks.
The AA suggested the government’s plan focuses on “supply but does little to encourage demand for EVs”.
It called on ministers to co-ordinate a public awareness campaign alongside the motoring industry which directly targets drivers who doubt the viability of EVs.
“Our message to government is more needs to be done to make EVs accessible for everyone,” said Jakob Pfaudler, AA chief executive.
Which? head of consumer rights Sue Davis said: “When it comes to making sustainable choices such as switching to an electric car, our research shows that people are often held back by high costs, complex choices or uncertainty.
“The government needs to provide the right information on electric vehicles and other sustainable choices so that people have the confidence to switch.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We’re investing over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs.
“This includes installing a public charge point every 28 minutes, keeping EV incentives in the company car tax regime to 2030, and extending 100% first-year allowances for zero-emission cars for another year.
“Second-hand EVs are also becoming cheaper than ever, with one in three available under £20,000 and 21 brand new models available for less than £30,000.
“We’re seeing growing consumer confidence as a result.”
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