The Tyre Extinguishers: New group of envrionmental activists let down tyres in Yorkshire

The Tyre Extinguishers, which organised the action, said it took action against “hundreds” of SUVs as it wants to make it “impossible” to own one in an urban area.

SUVs were targeted in 13 “well-to-do” locations on Monday night, including Sheffield, seven parts of London, Brighton, Bristol, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Liverpool.

Drivers woke up to find at least one of their tyres had been let down and a leaflet stating “your gas guzzler kills” placed on their windscreen.

One woman affected posted a photograph of her electric Mercedes-Benz EQC on Twitter as she urged the group to “think before you act”.

She wrote: “You let down my tyres and I didn’t notice until I started driving with my three children in my car. My car is fully electric.

“We also had a child that required to be at the hospital for an appointment in the city. Thankfully we had a second car.”

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.

Marion Walker, of The Tyre Extinguishers, said: “Governments and politicians have failed to protect us from these massive unnecessary vehicles. SUVs are a climate disaster, they cause air pollution and are dangerous for other road users.

“Everyone hates them, apart from the people who drive them. Politely asking for climate action, clean air and safer streets has failed. It’s time for action.”

The group describes itself as “leaderless” and is encouraging people to take action by reading instructions on how to deflate tyres on its website.