More car tyres in Aberdeen have been vandalised overnight in the second incident this week.
Many residents on Elmfield Avenue and Erskine Street woke up to find all four tyres on their vehicles deflated this morning.
It is believed the tyres were deflated using lentils after some residents found them inside the caps.
The act is becoming a trend on TikTok across Scotland with incidents reported in Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
SUV owners on Cadenhead Road and Cornhill Gardens in Aberdeen were also targeted earlier this week.
Why is this happening?
It is believed these incidents are being carried out so-called “Tyre Extinguishers” – a group who aim to make “SUV ownership impossible” in urban areas across the UK.
It is part of a trend that has targeted car owners as far as Australia.
The group claimed ownership for the vandalised vehicles in Ashgrove and Cornhill yesterday which mainly targeted SUVs.
However, the latest round of deflated tyres in Kittybrewster appear to have targeted “all different types of cars”. As of yet, the latest incident has not been claimed by any group.
ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND: SUVS DISARMED LAST NIGHT IN ASHGROVE AND CORNHILL AREAS
First action in Aberdeen, after previous actions in Glasgow, Dundee and Edinburgh! Great work! pic.twitter.com/QU4sqBKm31
— The Tyre Extinguishers (@T_Extinguishers) June 15, 2023
Alleged culprit spotted on CCTV
A local business owner came to work this morning to find “all the cars but one” on the lower part Erskine Street “annihilated”.
Seeing a car owner making the discovery, she said: “A local elderly resident was on the phone to a tyre place and they told him to take to cap off the tyre and check for lentils.
“They took the cap off and there’s two lentils inside the cap and that’s apparently how they’re doing it.”
It is understood the lentils are being used as they deflate the tyres slowly and quietly.
Residents on the street with CCTV caught a culprit carrying out the act dressed in a hoodie.
“I hope they get them anyway,” the business owner added.
“It’s the community that my business is in. It’s just sad, I don’t get the mentality of it.”
Residents on Elmfield Avenue had mixed reactions to the flat tyres.
One resident bemoaned the hassle involved for the many people having to delay their starts to the day by having to inflate their tyres.
Another however seemed bemused, describing the antics of the mystery activists as “tomfoolery” rather than anything illegal.
The man, whose car was one of those targeted, said he was woken by the sound of another Elmfield Avenue neighbour – presumably unaware of their predicament – crunching along the road with flattened tyres before coming to a stop.
Residents urged to contact police
It is understood there have been a number of similar reports in Aberdeen this week.
Police called the actions “reckless” and said they are taking the incidents seriously.
Inspector Lesley Clark said: “All reports of tyres being deliberately deflated are taken seriously.
“This kind of action is reckless and potentially dangerous as it could put drivers and other road users at risk.
“If you see anyone acting suspiciously close to parked vehicles, call us on 101. Drivers should also check their vehicle before they set off if they suspect it could have been tampered with.”
Conversation