Part-worn tyres "putting motorists' lives at risk"

Local councils have uncovered a 'shocking' amount of illegal second-hand tyres being sold, leaving thousands of motorists at risk.

An investigation by local councils found second-hand tyres being sold with serious safety defects, unsafe repairs and incorrect labelling - with some used tyres found to be nearly 30 years old.

The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England and Wales, is urging drivers buying 'part-worn' tyres to check they're in good condition and look for the 'part-worn' stamp to signify that they've been checked and meet legal requirements.

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Latest Government figures reveal that 17 people were killed in crashes in 2017 where illegal, defective or under-inflated tyres were found to be a contributory factor.

Simon Blackburn, chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: “Dangerous part-worn tyres are putting motorists' lives at risk and blatant, inexcusable breaches of the law are happening with shocking prevalence in some areas.

While part-worn tyres are often tempting as they're cheaper than new tyres, the LGA is warning drivers that they represent a false economy as they won't last as long as buying new.

“It doesn’t matter how new or well-maintained the rest of a car is, if its tyres are in poor condition drivers leave themselves open to losing grip on the road – and all the horrible consequences that could bring," said the RAC patrolman Ben Aldous. 

“Every year we attend hundreds of thousands of breakdowns where drivers’ tyres have failed them. While these might sometimes be unavoidable, such as after hitting a pothole, there are far too many times when breakdowns are caused by tyres that are badly worn."

Second-hand tyres should have the 'part-worn' stamp; without this mark they are unlikely to have been checked and the seller is breaking the law. Drivers are also being urged to look for any cracks, tears, lumps, and check the state of the tread before buying.

Legally, a car tyre needs to have at least 1.6mm of tread in a continuous band around the central three quarters of the tyre.