Despite no legal markings, Cumbria council declares part-worns ‘safe’
Cumbria County Council has declared the purchase of part-worn tyres “safe” on its patch following visits to part-worn tyre traders in the region by officers from Cumbria Trading Standards and the Police. The council says officers carried out 22 visits to premises in Cumbria between February and May in response to a TyreSafe survey that showed 98 per cent of examined tyres did not meet current legal requirements.
Cumbria Trading Standards inspected 500 tyres and reported that “all” the tyres were found to be safe. However, none were correctly marked with the words ‘part worn’, as is required by law. The visited businesses were given advice and reminded of their legal obligations when selling part worn tyres.
“Second-hand tyres can carry significant risks to consumers and must be sold in a safe condition,” commented Trading Standards manager Angela Jones. “We know that for financial reasons some drivers might decide to buy part-worn instead of new tyres. We want to ensure that those opting for part-worns only buy those which comply with legal requirements in order to minimise any safety risks. We are reassured that the tyres we inspected were found to be safe but we still urge consumers to be vigilant and to carry out some basic safety checks.”
PC McKeown, a forensic vehicle examiner with Cumbria Constabulary’s Collision Investigation Unit, added: “We are committed to checking every aspect of tyre safety and work with Trading Standards to make sure that retailers are selling tyres which are fit for purpose. In these financially difficult times, it is understanding [sic] that people will look to save some money and buy a tyre which they believe is ok but at a cost price. We want to make sure that people are not putting their lives at risk.”
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