Campaigners let down tyres on dozens of SUVs
ENVIRONMENTAL vigilantes have left drivers fuming after deflating dozens of tyres on SUVs.
The saboteurs, who call themselves “Tyre Extinguishers”, targeted Solihull, letting down tyres of 35 SUVs in Dickens Heath on Monday, March 20.
In letters left on the windscreens of cars, the activists dubbed “vain” SUV drivers a “disaster for the planet”.
A tweet by the group read: “First action for TX in Solihull as 35 SUVs hit in the Dickens Heath area last
night. Nice one! Keep it up.”
Last year, around 60 sports utility vehicles in Edinburgh had their tyres deflated overnight. The so-called Tyre Extinguishers said vehicles were “made safe” in areas of the city.
Activists claim good public transport means there is no need to own an SUV. It is thought the group is active around the world.
The group’s website read: “We are people from all walks of life with one aim: to make it impossible to own a huge polluting 4x4 in the world’s urban areas. We are defending ourselves against climate change, air pollution and unsafe drivers.
“We do this with a simple tactic: deflating the tyres of these massive, unnecessary vehicles, causing inconvenience.
“Deflating tyres
repeatedly and encouraging others to do the same will turn the minor inconvenience of a flat tyre into a giant obstacle for driving massive killer vehicles around our streets.
“We’re taking this action because governments and politicians have failed to protect us from these huge vehicles. Everyone hates them, apart from the people who drive them.
“We want to live in towns and cities with clean air and safe streets. Politely asking and protesting for these things has failed.”
West Midlands Police said they were carrying out inquiries and tracking down CCTV.