That’s not so batty!
Anti-Ulez campaigners hang bat boxes on camera posts so they can’t be used
‘Damage or destruction’
CAMPAIGNERS against London mayor Sadiq Khan’s ulez are hanging bat boxes on camera posts to stop engineers repairing them.
activists have vandalised scores of cameras since mr Khan’s expansion of the ultralow emission zone last year.
and now the £10 National Trust bat homes have been seen in areas across south and southwest London, including North Cheam, Chessington and Kingston-upon-Thames.
Bats are protected by law and it is a criminal offence to disturb their resting places and breeding sites. The newly installed boxes are accompanied by notices reading ‘Stop. This is a bat box’. under a heading ‘Bats and the Law’ is a list of criminal offences against bats.
One anti-ulez activist told the myLondon website: ‘ The purpose of the bat box is to make it difficult for TfL on any installation, be it a new pole before the camera is installed, or a pole where a camera has been damaged, removed or covered et cetera, and the team is returning to attempt to reinstall, repair or clean a camera.
‘ it will be interesting to see whether TfL and the subcontractors think that they are above the law regarding bats.
‘These bat boxes are spreading fast to provide habitats for wildlife, which is something Sadiq Khan loves to do for a photo opportunity, such as with reintroducing beavers, supposedly for rewilding.’
ulez opponents hailed the arrival of the bat boxes as ‘positively contributing to London’s biodiversity and ecosystem’.
The ulez was widened last august to cover almost all of greater London. Drivers of older vehicles that don’t meet strict pollution standards are furious that they are being charged £12.50 to enter the zone.
The Bat Conservation Trust says that the animals are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside act (1981) and the Conservation of habitats and Species Regulations (2017). any structures or places which a bats use for shelter are protected from damage or destruction, whether occupied or not.
Transport for London said it was a crime to interfere with its network of nearly 4,000 cameras. a spokesman said: ‘We will ensure our activities comply with relevant legislation.’