Mother, 62, deflates tyres on 100 SUVs – and wants ‘army of middle-aged women’ to join her protest

Published

2 years ago

October 11, 2022

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A 62-year-old mother says she has deflated tyres on about 100 SUVs in the last month – and wants to recruit an “army of middle-aged women” to join her protest action.

The member of controversial climate activist group The Tyre Extinguishers told Sky News she feels “exasperated” with drivers of the “destructive” vehicles.

The woman, who asked to be called Anna, says she targets SUVs in west London as she cycles home from work – and once deflated tyres on 16 vehicles in one evening.

She says passers-by have never questioned her because she does not look “threatening” or “suspicious” – but she was confronted by two drivers whose car tyres she let down.

The protester, who is a writer and film editor, says she is willing to spend time in jail over her cause and will only stop if the government takes action against SUVs, including banning adverts for the vehicles.

“I don’t see there is any justification for them,” she told Sky News.

“The pollution they cause affects all of us, it certainly affects me.

“They’re intimidating for cyclists and pedestrians… I’ve come off my bike because of two SUVs.

“I don’t want to be breaking the law. If these cars are doing so much damage, then attention needs to be drawn to it.”

Anna, who no longer owns a car but used to drive a Toyota RAV, says she deflates SUV tyres by putting lentils in the valves.

“I tend to have an hour’s go, usually in the evening when it’s getting dark,” she says.

“It’s not a nice thing to be doing. I get really dirty.

‘My children are encouraging’

“I just feel compelled to do something. I also feel what I do is a drop in the ocean, there are so many.

“Where I live, there are about five per street. And I don’t know who the people are, actually.”

Anna says she started deflating tyres on SUVs about four weeks ago and her three children, aged in their 20s and 30s, are “very encouraging”.

“I’ve done about 100 now,” she adds.

“I can be quicker if it’s in daylight because I can see immediately where the valve is. But it’s obviously less frightening to do it when it’s getting dark.”

She says she does not cover her face to try to hide her identity when she deflates the tyres, and has even targeted SUVs on the street where she lives.

‘I don’t look suspicious’

On the two occasions she has been confronted, the drivers were chauffeurs – including one who said her actions were “very wrong” but they “ended up wishing each other a good day”, according to Anna.

Neither driver threatened to involve the police, she adds.

Anna says passers-by have never stopped her to ask what she is doing, saying: “I’m 62. I don’t think I look threatening. I don’t look suspicious.

“I have thought of getting my children involved but they would look much more suspicious.

“We need an army of late-middle-aged women.”

Why are SUVs being targeted?

The Tyre Extinguishers say sport utility vehicles – or SUVs – are ‘a climate disaster’, ‘dangerous’ and ‘unnecessary’.

The vehicles feature elements of standard cars but are larger and have off-road capabilities.

They consume around 20% more energy than a medium-sized car because of their size, and over the last decade have outstripped aviation to become the second-largest cause of rising CO2 levels.

But despite warnings over climate change, SUV sales grew 10% between 2020 and 2021 and made up about 45% of all new vehicles sold globally last year, according to the International Energy Agency.

Anna admits she is worried about causing an accident if a driver fails to realise their car tyre has been deflated.

But she says: “I don’t do it if I think the person is going to drive away soon because the tyres go down slowly.

“I do it hoping they will find the car in the morning completely deflated.”

Not afraid of going to jail

Anna – who says she has no criminal record and has never previously taken part in direct action – says she is not scared of being arrested over her antics or going to jail.

“Maybe I’m being naive,” she says. “My daughter said she’d come and see me.

“I don’t feel ashamed of doing it. If it gets attention, that would be a good thing.”

Anna says the size of modern SUVs is “quite frightening” and she claims they are “incredibly destructive”.

‘I feel exasperation for them’

On SUV drivers, she says: “Have you no thought for the people in Pakistan suffering from the climate extremes?

“I feel exasperation with them and it would be good if they were made to consider what they’re doing.”

The Tyre Extinguishers say they want to “strike fear” into owners of “gas guzzling” SUVs and claim to have deflated tyres on thousands of cars across the UK since March.

The activists say they have struck in London, Brighton, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Sheffield and Cambridge – and their campaign is “escalating fast”.

They have warned more cities are set to be targeted as they aim to deflate tyres on more than 10,000 vehicles by the end of the year.

Police have warned the group’s actions “will absolutely not be tolerated” and have sought to catch those involved.

UK

Gatwick Airport: Police release two people who were detained amid security incident as South Terminal reopens

Published

2 hours ago

November 23, 2024

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Gatwick Airport: Police release two people who were detained amid security incident as South Terminal reopens

Two people detained during a security incident at Gatwick Airport have been allowed to continue their journeys after a suspect package saw a “large part” of the South Terminal evacuated.

The terminal was closed for hours after the discovery of a “suspected prohibited item” in a passenger’s luggage sparked an emergency response. It reopened at around 3.45pm.

Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team “made the package safe” before handing the airport back to its operator, Sussex Police said.

Their statement continued: “Two people who were detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys.

“There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel.”

The force also thanked the public and airport staff for their patience while the incident was ongoing.

Earlier the airport, which is the UK’s second busiest, said the terminal was evacuated after a “security incident”.

“The earlier security alert has now been resolved and cleared by police,” it later said in a statement on Friday afternoon.

“The South Terminal is reopening to staff and will be open to passengers shortly.”

Gatwick said some flights were cancelled while others were delayed.

It said passengers should contact their airlines for any updates on flights.

Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of travellers heading away from the terminal building.

“Arrived at London Gatwick for routine connection. Got through customs to find out they’re evacuating the entire airport,” one passenger said.

“Even people through security are being taken outside. Trains shut down,” another passenger added, who said “thousands” of people were forced to leave.

Another passenger said people near the gates were being told to stay there and not go back to the departure lounge.

People outside the airport were handed blankets and water, passengers told Sky News.

The airport said its North Terminal was still operating normally.

Gatwick Express said its trains did not call at Gatwick Airport during the police response, but the airport said trains would start calling there again once the terminal was fully reopened.

More than 600 flights were due to take off or land at Gatwick on Friday, amounting to more than 121,000 passenger seats, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

UK

Starmer says UK will ‘set out a path’ to raise defence spending to 2.5%

Published

5 hours ago

November 23, 2024

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Starmer says UK will 'set out a path' to raise defence spending to 2.5%

The UK will “set out a path” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.

Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.

There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.

Ukraine war latest: Follow live updates

A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.

They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.

“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.

“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”

The defence review will also be published in the spring.

While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.

They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.

With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.