Part-worn tyres putting drivers at risk
TyreSafe has warned drivers about the risks of part-worn tyres after a number of operations identified significant compliance and safety issues.
Working with Trading Standards, it carried out investigations in Norfolk and Lancashire and found serious issues within the part-worn sector.
In Norfolk, a joint inspection of 191 part-worn tyres across seven businesses found that 36% of tyres were in a dangerous condition, while only one tyre met full legal safety and marking requirements.
Meanwhile, another operation in Lancashire found that none of 30 part-worn tyres inspected met legal requirements, with dangerous defects including embedded objects, sidewall damage and substandard repairs.
TyreSafe chair Stuart Lovatt said “Our recent education and enforcement activity revealed a deeply concerning picture of tyre safety on UK roads. Too often, part-worn tyres are being used as a dangerous short-term fix rather than a safe, compliant solution.
“We encountered vehicles fitted with severely aged tyres that should have been removed from service years ago, alongside single-tyre replacements fitted purely to secure an MOT pass. This creates highly unstable and potentially dangerous combinations, including mismatched summer and winter tyres on the same axle, which can seriously compromise braking and handling.
“Perhaps most alarming, none of the part-worn tyres we inspected carried the legally required ‘PART-WORN’ marking, highlighting a serious lack of compliance and leaving motorists unknowingly exposed to unsafe and unverified products.”
