Work Ti Thermal Imaging LTD Have Done With The Daily Telegraph
“Using a thermal imaging camera similar to the one that revealed how few of the St Paul’s protest tents were occupied at night, the Telegraph has discovered that only a small percentage of tents lining Parliament Square had occupants at midnight. Only 3 out of 19 tents surveyed showed any significant signs of occupation.
The Telegraph hired an independent thermal imaging expert, Richard Wallace of Ti Thermal Imaging Ltd, to conduct the survey and analyse the results.
Mr Wallace said, “The row of tents immediately opposite Parliament appear to show no external surface temperature increases, only surface temperatures equilibrated to the natural ambient air temperature. This indicates they have little or no internal sources of heat.
“The second set of tents appear to show only three tents with any sort of an elevated surface temperature.”
Estimates of how long a person would have to be in a tent to create enough heat to show up range from five to fifteen minutes.
The Telegraph’s investigation two weeks ago into the St Paul’s protest raised questions about the legitimacy of encampments as a form of protest with the Prime Minister suggesting that protesters didn’t have the right to pitch tents anywhere they liked.
“I’m all in favour of the freedom to demonstrate,” David Cameron said.
“But I don’t quite see how the freedom to demonstrate has to include the freedom to pitch a tent almost anywhere you want to in London.
“These tents, whether they are in Parliament Square or St Paul’s square, I don’t think it is the right way forward.”
The camp was first settled 10 years ago when the veteran peace campaigner, Brian Haw, pitched his tent on the grass. Haw died earlier this year.
In May 2010 campaigners set up “Democracy Village” on the green but were evicted earlier this year by the Greater London Authority. A number of protesters then pitched tents on the pavement next to the lawn, which is controlled by Westminster Council.