Dulwich parents were left deflated after waking up to find eco-vigilantes had used lentils to let down the tyres on their “gas guzzler” SUVs.
Environmental group Tyre Extinguishers, who say SUVs are “gas guzzlers” and “a disaster for the environment”, struck in the early hours of Tuesday, June 21, and claimed responsibility for the raid soon after.
4×4 drivers were left incensed, with some accusing the environmentalists of wanting to go back to the “times of Roman or Vikings”.
Joanna Guilar, a mum-of-three from Eynella Road, East Dulwich, whose 4×4 was hit, believes the perpetrators are “absolute a-holes”.
She said: “We have to function! Even if you want to go back to the original times of Romans and Vikings, we need to be able to move around!
After deflating the tyres by shoving lentils in their valves, the group left leaflets under drivers’ windscreen wipers saying: “SUVs are the second biggest cause of rising carbon emissions in the last decade. This is why we have disarmed your SUV by deflating one or more of its tyres.”
Sophie Delaney, a 38-year-old TV producer and mum-of-one said she was “livid” and that the scheme “hasn’t won them any support”.
Cars stretching from Dulwich Village to Herne Hill, on roads including Stradella, Eynella and Druce, as well as Court Lane, were among those sabotaged.
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Sharon, a mother-of-two from Herne Hill, whose electric Ford SUV was targeted said: “They have not cared about the safety element of people potentially driving with flat tyres with children in their cars making the trip to school.”
When the News put this concern to Tyre Extinguishers, the group said: “Most SUVs are fitted with tyre pressure sensors that let the driver know that a tyre is deflated.
“And if the car is actually driven, the noise of the flat tyre will be immediately obvious and we also leave a leaflet. We have had no reports of any accidents.”
Piers Guilar, whose electric SUV was hit, said he found the debacle “vaguely amusing”, especially after finding a lentil sticking out of his tyre valve.
“I’d rather they didn’t do it. It was purely inconvenient and a bit of a pain in the arse but it did no harm”, he said.
He added that they could have “executed it better”, arguing that his 4×4 is eco-friendly because it’s electric and hasn’t needed replacing in the 25 years.
A mum on Druse Road, whose wheels got wrecked, agreed saying: “Mine’s a hybrid so it was pretty dumb of them to do that.”
However, tyre extinguishers said: “Hybrids and electric cars are fair game. We cannot electrify our way out of the climate crisis – there are not enough rare earth metals to replace everyone’s car and the mining of these metals causes suffering.
“Plus, the danger to other road users still stands, as does the air pollution. PM 2.5 pollution is still produced from tyres and brake pads.”
A spokesperson for the Met Police said: “We are aware of a number of incidents of tyres being deflated in the Dulwich Area. We are grateful for your assistance so far in sharing information with us. If your tyres are slashed or similarly damaged, please don’t hesitate to report it to us via 101, or our website.”
Sophie’s wrong, they’ve won my support
For those who argue that hybrids and electric vehicles should be exempt from such action. It’s important to recognise where our electricity comes from. Currently renewables make up around 40-45% of the UK electricity mix. For an electric car to be less damaging for the environment than a conventional vehicle, your electricity mix needs to be around 80% renewable.
The purpose of deflating tyres is to disincentivise driving an SUV. I recall checking your tyre pressure before you set out on a journey is on the driving test.
Public transport infrastructure, particularly in South London is lacking. So I advise people to petition for improved funding in that regard. Also – fewer SUVs would free up traffic and make bus journeys shorter, particularly during the school rush.
As a former dulwich resident having been born in the area, I hope these people who let down the tyres be ashamed of themselves.
These people are idiots and spend their lives ( such as they are), inconveniencing people, without knowing the facts. Most SUVs are NOT gas guzzling vehicles, Mine gets 41mpg, more than most family saloon cars and far more than many, many cars on the road. They occupy the same footprint, just because they are higher, is meaningless. These people need to learn facts, before acting. Idiots, look better if many of them got a job and made a contribution to society.
I wonder what’s going to happen when one of these people are attacked or even killed being mistaken for a thief.? While I do not in any way, shape or form advocate harm to these people at all, their cause doesn’t give them a moral or legal right to do what they are doing.
Better ways of education then taking these risks, making people angry and hardening them to ever listen. Shaming is not going to change behaviors. It will only end up with someone hurt or worse. Not smart at all.
Wonderful, let’s flip the narrative and make people responsible. Not government, not industry but people. Going after 6th place for polution is a joke. Target big ones, not average people, you cowards.
“we need to be able to move around” – latest research suggests that Dulwich has multiple railway stations and bus routes, and relatively few steep mountain tracks that might justify a 4×4.
Suburban drivers. Many work as bean counters, thwarted by a lentil.
Many disabled people drive SUVs – they are more accessible.
Vandalising peoples property will only shame and thereby damage your cause.
Consider this, the only thing that XR achieved politically is the new crime bill.
XRs misguided actions made protest more difficult for EVERYBODY not just themselves.
Stop it before someone is injured or killed by your dim-witted protest.
In order to succeed you need to win the support of people who exist outside your echo-chamber. This activity gets you all the wrong kind of attention – it will not end well for you nor will it benefit your cause.