Climate activists say they have extinguished the tyres on 90 SUVs in Clifton. It marks the fifth time that the protest group, who call themselves the Tyre Extinguishers, claim to have let down the tyres of vehicles in Bristol.
The protesters, who operate around the UK as well as in other European countries and the USA, targeted the cars in the early hours of Thursday morning. A spokesperson for the group said that they continue to take action because of the climate crisis, and highlighted the amber heatwave warning issued by the Met Office this week, which warns of a danger to life in large parts of the UK because of extreme heat.
Holly, 32, said: “The Met Office have issued an Amber warning for severe heat next week. We’re seeing heat forecasts in 2022 that were predicted for 2050, which means the climate crisis is happening much more quickly that we’d predicted.
Read more: Bristol SUV owner 'p***** off' after climate activists deflate his tyres
"I’m scared and want our politicians to stop ignoring how serious this is. If SUVs were a country they’d be the sixth-largest emitter in the world – we have to stop all unnecessary carbon emissions and we have to stop them now.”
And in a statement posted on their website, the group called for a ban on SUVs in urban areas, as well as "pollution levies to tax SUVs out of existence, and massive investment in free, comprehensive public transport". And the statement added that they will continue to extinguish tyres "until politicians make this a reality".
Police have previously issued advice to SUV owners who live in areas which have been targeted by the Tyre Extinguishers. Avon and Somerset Police's neighbourhood team in Stoke Bishop issued a statement on May 26 which said: "Advice from the police at the moment is to report any incidents to us, even if no crime has been committed, it is good for us to log the incidents so we can see patterns in behaviour.
"You can purchase anti-theft dust caps which will ensure this group cannot deflate your tyre in the future. If you have a driveway, park your vehicle there instead of on the road."
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