More than 500 crimes relating to stealing and damaging ULEZ cameras have been committed in the last five months, the Metropolitan Police have revealed.

The force said a total of 510 crimes, including 159 reports of cameras being stolen and 351 reports of cameras being damaged, were recorded between 1 April and 31 August this year.

A crime can include more than one offence and the number has almost doubled in the past month because by 1 August, the Met had recorded 288 crimes.

The ULEZ was expanded to cover the whole of Greater London on Tuesday, meaning cars that do not meet the required emissions standards now need to pay £12.50 per day to drive in the capital city.

Generally, this means most petrol cars made before January 2006 and diesel cars made before September 2015 are now liable to pay the fee to drive in London.

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The figures came after Sky News revealed fraudsters are selling counterfeit certification, with adverts posted on Facebook Marketplace, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and WhatsApp claiming to be able to make vehicles “ULEZ exempt”.

Police launched an operation targeting a group – whose members describe themselves as “blade runners” – earlier this year.

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The Met said in a statement that it “has and continues to treat criminal activity in relation to ULEZ seriously and has deployed considerable resources to our operation”,

“Where there are possible lines of enquiry, local investigators will follow up using a range of investigative approaches including CCTV trawls, witness searches and an assessment of forensic opportunities,” the force added.

Two people have been arrested so far – one has been charged and bailed ahead of trial, while the Crown Prosecution Service discontinued the other case.

The Met said it is continuing to “monitor anti-ULEZ protests, as we do for all potential public order matters,” with some events attracting between 200 and 300 people.

London mayor Sadiq Khan has repeatedly stressed that 90% of cars seen driving in outer London on an average day are already compliant with ULEZ – but its expansion has encountered fierce resistance in some areas due to the rising cost of living.

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