99% of part worn retailers selling ‘illegal and unsafe’ tyres

An investigation has found that 99% of part worn tyre retailers are selling ‘illegal and dangerous’ tyres.

Carried out by TyreSafe during Tyre Safety Month, 68 part-worn traders across England and Scotland were visited as part of the investigation.

All bar one were found to be supplying tyres which contravene the legislation governing their sale – while of the 129 tyres inspected during the investigation, 75% were found to be unsafe.

TyreSafe has described the investigation’s findings as ‘dreadful’ and is encouraging motorists to think again before buying part worn tyres as there is no guarantee they are safe.

Stuart Jackson, chairman of TyreSafe, said: “Despite years of appalling results from these investigations into the retail of part worn tyres, these findings still come as a shock.

“How can it be acceptable that three-quarters of the part worn tyres offered for sale were unsafe? Tyres are the only part of car in contact with the road and essential to road safety – selling dangerous examples to unsuspecting motorists is putting lives at risk.”

“The number of dangerous part worn tyres being sold is no doubt related to the widespread incompetence of the retailers. With just one of the 68 retailers found to be compliant with the law, surely the part worn trade must vastly improve its standards before the British motorist can have any confidence in them.

“Until that happens, TyreSafe continues to urge drivers to buy new tyres to avoid paying a potentially heavy price for choosing to fit unsafe part worns.”

TyreSafe has been working in partnership with Trading Standards for many years to investigate part worn traders, but during Tyre Safety Month a range of enforcement agencies also participated.

These included numerous police forces and fire services, the Environment Agency, the Department for Work and Pensions and the Health and Safety Executive.

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