YOBS attacking London’s Ulez cameras have run up a repair and replacement bill of up to £17million in a year.
Figures show the Met Police recorded 1,760 incidents of criminal damage or theft from April to February.
There are more than 3,400 cameras in London, charging drivers of polluting vehicles £12.50 a time to enter the city.
But Mayor Sadiq Khan’s unpopular scheme has led to 40 to 60 attacks a week, say insiders.
Each camera is believed to be worth £10,000 so the total cost to replace damaged ones would be £17.6million.
Elliot Keck, at the TaxPayers’ Alliance, blasted: “While criminal damage is never acceptable, this is an unnecessary cost from a scheme designed to milk motorists dry.
“The next mayor should scrap this ruinous policy.”
Of the 1,760 crimes, 320 were camera or equipment theft, 167 cameras or lenses being damaged, and 281 of kit set on fire.
There were hundreds more reports of poles being damaged, or power cables or camera doors being ripped out, plus 60 reports of cameras obscured with paint.
Transport for London has hired security to protect engineers installing and fixing cams.
It declined to reveal the true cost of repairing the cameras.
A spokesman said: “Camera vandalism will not stop the Ulez operating London-wide.”
