A ULEZ camera van has been covered in spray paint and had a tyre slashed by vandals.

One of the electric vehicles, which are being used to ensure anyone driving within any of the London boroughs with a non-compliant car is paying a daily charge of £12.50, has been vandalised in Maiden Lane, near Crayford Way in Crayford.

Since August 29, the road is among the areas impacted by the controversial extension of London mayor Sadiq Khan’s Ultra Low Emission Zone.

Dana Pidden, who lives in the area, saw the van had been damaged on her way home this morning.

The mum-of-three said: “I first saw the van this morning at about 8.10am. A couple of hours later I pictured it with its tyre slashed and covered in tarpaulin.”

A full-time carer for her mum, Dana added: “I understand why it’s happened. No one wants it around here. ULEZ just makes it so people can't go out, especially because not everyone can afford 40-grand cars.”

After posting the vandalism on Facebook, Dana’s picture was swamped with comments.

One person commented: “That’s thoughtful. Someone covered it up so it wouldn’t get wet in the rain!”

Another said: “Be a real shame if the vehicle got damaged being parked up all on its own.”

Someone else added: “It now has a cover but it was covered in black graffiti earlier.”

A spokesman for the Met Police told KentOnline that the force is “not giving a running commentary on individual incidents of criminal damage with regards ULEZ”.

A TfL spokesperson said: “Vandalism is unacceptable and all incidents on our network are reported to the police for investigation. Criminal damage to ULEZ cameras or vehicles puts the perpetrators at risk of prosecution and injury, while simultaneously risking the safety of the public. Camera vandalism will not stop the ULEZ operating London-wide. All vandalised cameras are repaired or replaced as soon as possible.

“We have an extensive camera network which is sufficient to support the effective operation of the scheme...”

“We have an extensive camera network which is sufficient to support the effective operation of the scheme.

“Anyone driving a non-compliant vehicle within the expanded zone will be detected and we advise everyone to check whether their vehicle is compliant and to consider the various support that is available to help transition to greener modes of transport.”

The expansion has been met with criticism from councils within Greater London and the surrounding counties, but the London Mayor has defended the decision, which he says will mean “five million more people will be able to breathe cleaner air and live healthier lives”.

Kent County Council refused to allow the relevant infrastructure for the project to be installed in the county.

It said it will stand by this decision “for as long as there is no mitigation to minimise the impact of the expansion of the scheme on Kent residents”.