The Tyre Extinguishers, a climate activist group, have vowed to make owning an SUV in Edinburgh "impossible" after a series of incidents involving deflating the tyres of vehicles.
The group, who in recent months have left motorists across the city, and the rest of the UK, without the use of their vehicles due to deflating the tyres, are showing no signs of easing their presence across the capital.
Posting regular updates on social media, claiming responsibility for their actions, the group have left dozens of people angered as they have been unable to travel to work or take their children to school in the morning.
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Now, the Edinburgh Evening News reports that the climate activists, who have described people who own an SUV as "immoral," say they plan to make it virtually impossible to own one of the vehicles in Edinburgh.
A spokesperson for the group told the paper that they would not be targeting 'working class' neighbourhoods in Edinburgh.
One person targeted recently, an NHS worker, was late for work in the morning after finding her tyres had been deflated. Another motorist in Leith asked the police to intervene "before someone is injured or killed."
Notes have also been left on vehicles as a trace of the Tyre Extinguishers, entitled: ‘Attention – your gas guzzler kills.’ Motorists in several areas across the city were hit in recent weeks including the New Town, Morningside and Portobello.
A member of the group who lives in Edinburgh told the Evening News: "We would never target working-class areas. But our actions will continue, in this city and beyond. Until we see SUVs put on the scrapheap - by politicians or people learning that buying one means it will likely have its tyres deflated - we will continue our action.”
"We have been compelled to act because asking politely for safe streets, clean air and climate action has failed. If governments and politicians won't protect us, we will protect ourselves by making it impossible to own a huge polluting vehicle in Edinburgh."
The group which claims to have ‘disarmed’ nearly 2000 SUVs across the UK encourages people to visit their website to learn how to deflate tyres. Justifying their actions the Edinburgh member cited the surge in popularity of SUV vehicles globally as disastrous for the environment.
Recent research shows SUV sales increased 10 per cent between 2020 and 2021 putting them on course to make up nearly half – 45 per cent – of global car sales and making them one of the largest contributors to increase in global CO2 emissions.
“We are people from all walks of life. Many of us have never done anything like this. We have been forced into this position.
"Right now there is a deadly heatwave in South Asia. In this context, owning a huge unnecessary vehicle that causes much more emissions than smaller cars is immoral, and it must be stopped.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Police are aware that a number of vehicles in the North East of Edinburgh have had their tyres deflated and activist group leaflets placed on them. Officers are currently investigating.
“If you discover your tyres have been deliberately deflated or if you have any information about this, please contact police on 101.”
