‘Just cut the wires’: why UK conspiracy theorists are destroying traffic scanners
A group of UK conspiracy theorists known as the Blade Runners has been vandalizing traffic scanners across various towns, claiming they are electronic assault weapons used for mass surveillance. Experts and local councils describe these devices as simple sensors that monitor vehicle volume to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety, noting they do not record personal data. Recent incidents have resulted in arrests and significant damage to infrastructure in locations including Devon, Cambridge, and Lincolnshire.
- ▪The Blade Runners group believes traffic scanners are phased array electronic assault weapons capable of causing cancer and dementia.
- ▪Police arrested a woman and a man in Ilfracombe after they were filmed cutting wires on traffic light infrastructure.
- ▪Nearly 200 traffic detector units were damaged in Cambridge, while 10 units were vandalized in Sleaford within a single week.
- ▪University of Leeds professor Susan Grant-Muller states that the sensors have been in use since the late 1970s and only detect the presence of vehicles or pedestrians.
- ▪The Living Streets charity supports the use of monitoring technology as it improves pedestrian safety at crossings.
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| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/sep/19/uk-conspiracy-theorists-destroying-traffic-scanners |
| Publication time | Sat, 19 Sep 2026 11:00:45 GMT |
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The Blade Runners group began attacking traffic infrastructure in 2023. Photograph: Maureen McLean/AlamyView image in fullscreenThe Blade Runners group began attacking traffic infrastructure in 2023. Photograph: Maureen McLean/AlamyTransport‘Just cut the wires’: why UK conspiracy theorists are destroying traffic scannersSensors that monitor vehicle volume are said to be ‘electronic assault weapons’ by the ‘Blade Runners’ groupEsther AddleySat 19 Sep 2026 07.00 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleAt the top of an extendable ladder on a quiet street of Ilfracombe, in Devon, an older woman dressed smartly in cropped trousers, a red rain jacket and matching red socks is chopping at some wires at the top of a set of traffic lights with a small pair of pliers.A grey-haired man holding a…
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