Illegal part-worn tyres found to be sold in North Ayrshire

Second-hand tyres not meeting minimum legal standards found to be sold in Glasgow and South Lanarkshire

Illegal part-worn tyres found to be sold in North Ayrshire
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Part-worn tyres that do not match minimum legal standards are being sold illegaly in garages around Glasgow and South Lanarkshire, reports the BBC.

With help from charity TyreSafe, the BBC purchased ten tyres which where then tested by an industry expert who found that three of the tyres were not safe to be on the road.

The expert, Stephen Dolby, found that a further five were sold without the “part-worn” stamp as is legally required.

Part-worn stamp

Of the ten tyres that were tested, only two were fit for use, with defects including incorrectly repaired punctures.

Only one of the seven dealers involved in the study had used a “part-worn” stamp showing they had carried out necessary safety checks.

Stuart Jackson, Tyresafe chairman, commented: “Dangerous and non-compliant tyres are very commonly sold by part-worn retailers to unsuspecting motorists, so it is regrettably no surprise that the majority of those bought by the BBC were unsafe and illegally supplied.”

“Drivers should also remember part-worns have already been used and only need to be sold with 2mm of tread, giving them a reduced lifespan and making it necessary to change them more frequently.”

One of the tyres, which had been sold to the BBC for £20, was 17 years old, had an unsafe puncture repair and a piece of glass through the casing.

A raid by the police, trading standards and TyreSafe at an unnamed garage found several tyres for sale with shocking defects including nails stuck in them.

“Six-inch nail”

Police Scotland’s seargent Kevin Blackley said: “To have a six-inch nail sticking out of a tyre being offered to a member of the public is unimaginable that someone would perhaps drive about with that and the carnage it could then cause on the roads.”

He added: “I would say to motorists, rather than saving five pound or ten pound, look at a new tyre.

“You can buy a brand new tyre for a little over £40.

“It’s a tyre that should last longer and would be safer on the road.”

Do you sell part-worn tyres? Are you concerned about the number of illegal tyres being sold? Share your concerns in the comments below.

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