Edinburgh Tyre Extinguishers ‘at it again, undeterred’, as they deflate tyres of 50 SUVs in ‘posh’ area

Climate activist group strike again in Edinburgh, targetting 50 SUVs in ‘posh’ part of the Capital

Vigilante eco-activist group Tyre Extinguishers claim to have deflated the tyres of another 50 SUVs in Edinburgh.

The guerrilla eco warriors targeted vehicles in the city's affluent New Town area on Sunday, February 18 – then took to social media to brag about their antics.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Tyre Extinguishers said: “Edinburgh TX are back at it again, undeterred, with their first strike of 2024, hitting the posh New Town area.

Vigilante eco-activist group Tyre Extinguishers claim to have deflated the tyres of another 50 SUVs in Edinburgh.

“In the New Town you can get the bus, tram or walk to the city centre. Why do you need a tank?”

Since 2022, hundreds of SUVs have been deflated in the Leith, Portobello, Hillside, Marchmont, Bruntsfield and New Town areas by the group. A global organisation, Tyre Extinguishers want to make it “impossible” to own an SUV. It describes them as “a climate disaster”, “dangerous” and “unnecessary”.

Members of the group deflate tyres by pushing small objects, like lentils, into their valves. They also leave leaflets on the cars they target, explaining: “We do this because driving around urban areas in your massive vehicle has huge consequences for others.”

SUVs feature elements of standard cars but are larger and have off-road capabilities such as high ground clearance. Petrol and diesel-powered models are generally less fuel efficient than cars. Tyre Extinguishers say even electric and hybrid SUVs are “fair game” as there are “not enough rare earth metals” to replace all cars with them, and “the danger to other road users still stands”.