By Andy Silvester
The Met Police is investigating an explosion that saw a ULEZ camera blown up in Sidcup last night.
The controversial emissions policy sees high-polluting cars hit with a £12.50 charge for crossing the boundary into greater London.
Reports of an explosion began circulating early this morning and just after 5pm the Met Police confirmed a criminal investigation was taking place.
“The incident is being treated as a deliberate act, which was caused by what appears to be a low-sophistication improvised explosive device (IED),” the Met said.
Counter-terror officers are leading the investigation but the Met are not currently treating the incident as terrorism.
Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry, Commander for the Bexley area said: “Thankfully, nobody was injured as a result of this incident, but 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.”
The ULEZ camera was cut down at 5:15pm before the explosion 90 minutes later. The police are keeping an open-mind on whether the two are connected.
ULEZ came into place over the summer as part of Mayor Sadiq Khan’s attempt to clean up London’s air.
However the policy proved controversial with the hard and fast boundary at the edge of greater London meaning short drives which crossed the threshold – from school or the supermarket to home – were now at risk of falling foul of the new charge.
However City Hall figures are keen to point out that 95 per cent of cars do not have to pay the charge due to being in line with emissions standards.
“Because of the seriousness of this incident, we are making urgent enquiries to try and identify anyone involved, and officers with specialist expertise and capability from our Counter Terrorism Command are leading the investigation,” Detective Chief Superintendent Lawry continued.
