Safety doubts over tyres intensifies
Further doubt has been cast over the safety of part worn tyres following the convictions of more dealers according to TyreSafe.
Following the conviction of six retailers in the Brent and Harrow area of London in late August, two more part worn tyre retailers have been successfully prosecuted and fined for selling substandard – and potentially dangerous – tyres in North London.
Premier Tyres and Motors Ltd and KM Tyres (both from Wembley), and their directors, were found guilty of failing to mark part-worn tyres correctly and selling substandard tyres. One of the tyres was offered for sale with a rusty nail embedded in the tread. In total, the retailers were ordered to pay £5,238 in fines and costs.
The convictions come as a result of ongoing investigations led by Brent and Harrow Trading Standards with the support of the National Tyre Distributors Association and TyreSafe, the not-for-profit organisation dedicated to raising awareness of defective and illegal tyres. October is Tyre Safety Month, making these convictions particularly significant.
‘TyreSafe and its supporters are committed to encouraging motorists to ensure their tyres are safe, so it is extremely disappointing when retailers – who are in a position of trust – are found guilty of supplying dangerous and defective tyres,’ said Stuart Jackson, chairman, TyreSafe. ‘The number of convictions of unscrupulous part worn dealers should cast doubt in the minds of Britain’s motorists on whether the product they are buying in good faith is safe to use at all. TyreSafe research has shown all too often these tyres are not safe and, even when they are, they do not represent good value for money.’
A previous study by TyreSafe of a random sample of 50 part worn tyres over the course of a month found 98% were sold illegally and 34% were potentially dangerous.
