Campaign Group Deflates Tyres Of 250 SUVs In Brighton

A campaign group named Tyre Extinguishers have admitted responsibility for the letting down of tyres on 250 SUVs in the Brighton & Hove area last night (May 9).

They claim to be 'defending ourselves' against climate change and say they want to make it "impossible to own a huge polluting 4x4 in the world's urban areas".

Sports Utilities Vehicles were targeted in Queen’s Park, Seven Dials, Preston Park, Hove, Poet’s Corner and Denmark Villas. 

The group boasted about its latest campaign on Twitter this morning (May 10):

A whopping 250 SUVs disarmed last night in Brighton & Hove! Our campaign is escalating fast.

You can join in where you are by following the instructions online: https://t.co/vUJz3H7k32

Together, we will make it impossible to own a polluting death machine in the world's cities. pic.twitter.com/nws3SGkXhp

— The Tyre Extinguishers (@T_Extinguishers) May 10, 2022

On their website, which includes a lesson on how to deflate the tyres of an SUV, They say:

"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."

They recommend targeting "posh, middle-class areas" in order to carry out their work and included a YouTube video on how best to deflate an SUV tyre.

Members of the group, of which anyone can join, carried out a similar campaign in Edinburgh on Sunday night (May 8) letting down the tyres of over 30 vehicles close to a police station.

Sky News reported in April, that activists had admitted "disarming" nearly 2,000 vehicles over four weeks in the UK, specifically in Brighton, London, Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield, Bristol, and Edinburgh.

In March Sussex Police released video footage of two people believe to have been involved in the letting down of tyres in the area - 54 incidents were reported over the weekend of March 7 and 8. 

At the time, Inspector Nicky Stuart, of Brighton and Hove's Neighbourhood Policing Team, said:

"We understand the impact these crimes are having on the community and I would like to reassure the public that our officers are working round the clock to catch those responsible."

A spokeswoman for the Tyre Extinguishers, Marion Walker, did not seem phased by the police appeal, saying:

"Unless a bobby is posted beside every SUV in the country 24 hours a day, we don't expect anyone to be apprehended."

"Better to break the law than allow these killer vehicles to continue to be used on our streets," she added.