Yorkshire gang cut down speed cameras with angle grinders

A gang of quad bike-mounted vandals have been seen cutting down speed cameras[1] with angle grinders. A video has emerged of the vigilantes in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, attacking the cameras, [2]while shouting "save the community". The incident took place on Monday night on Leeds Road in the town, with two cameras targeted.

An accompanying video shows one person using a stihl saw to cut down a pole on a residential street, while his accomplices shouted words of encouragement. Another person off camera can be heard shouting, "keep cutting", as sparks fly from the poll, before it topples onto the road. Bewildered residents can be seen leaving their homes to see what is happening.

When driving on their quad bike by the felled pole, one of the vandals can be heard saying, "they are absolute scrap them, boys". The group also mock the police after a van with its sirens on is filmed driving past them on the other side of the road. The footage comes amid an increase in the number of attacks on traffic infrastructure in recent months.

In protest at Mayor Sadiq Khan's expansion of the Ulez zone to cover the whole of Londo[3]n, vigilantes have been targeting the cameras used to police the zone by vandalising or stealing them.

Metropolitan Police stats reported that there had been 795 reported crimes relating to Ulez[4] cameras since the start of April. Elsewhere there have been reports of vandals setting fire and cutting down bollards blocking streets for LTN zones in Oxford, while London councils have also seen widespread attacks[5] on LTN infrastructure. One resident who lives nearby told YorkshireLive: "We saw it while walking our dog, then heard from a neighbour that one further up the street had been done as well.

"Probably people inspired by people who cut them down in London for the anti-ulez stuff, it's a race track most nights so it wouldn't surprise me if it was someone worried about getting caught - the cameras were not even active yet the council was waiting for new average speed camera signs to go up."

West Yorkshire Police said in a statement on Tuesday: "Police were called to Leeds Road, Dewsbury at about 21:09 on Monday Oct 23 to a report males on a quad bike had caused damage to street furniture between Batley and Dewsbury. "Two camera poles were damaged with one having fallen in the road. "Local authority highways were made aware and work was carried out in the early hours to make the road safe.

"Police are also aware of video circulating on social media and are investigating the contents."

It added that a number of active enquiries were ongoing into the incident by Kirklees District CID.

References

1. ^ cutting down speed cameras (www.telegraph.co.uk)
2. ^ attacking the cameras, (www.telegraph.co.uk)
3. ^ Ulez zone to cover the whole of Londo (www.telegraph.co.uk)
4. ^ 795 reported crimes relating to Ulez (www.telegraph.co.uk)
5. ^ London councils have also seen widespread attacks (www.telegraph.co.uk)