Sentencing a ‘clear message to tyre retailers’, says TyreSafe

The suspended sentence and hefty bill handed to a Lincolnshire tyre dealer should serve as a warning to the rest of the industry, opines TyreSafe. Commenting on the sentencing passed on Luke McKenzie two days ago, organisation chairman Stuart Jackson said the sentence “represents a clear message to tyre retailers across the UK.” Jackson added that TyreSafe is “pleased to see that motorists are being protected from illegal and sub-standard products that will endanger lives.”

As reported yesterday, Luke McKenzie received a nine-month suspended sentence and was ordered to perform 150 hours of community service and pay prosecution fees exceeding £26,000. In February, Lincoln Crown Court unanimously found McKenzie guilty on 16 counts of possessing and supplying dangerous products as well as one count of supplying an incorrectly-sized spare tyre and another of providing false information.

McKenzie traded from Moss Tyres in Grantham, a tyre dealer selling new and part-worn tyres. The establishment was subject to a test purchase operation by Trading Standards, with support from TyreSafe and the National Tyre Distributors Association (NTDA). This operation was carried out in response to a number of customer complaints. “TyreSafe will continue to support these investigations in any way it can, supplying expert advice and evidence as in the case of Moss Tyres,” commented Jackson.

“Lincolnshire Trading Standards are extremely satisfied with the outcome of this prosecution. Many of the tyres seized from Moss Tyres had serious safety defects that could have had life-threatening consequences for innocent consumers and their families,” added Daniel Brown, senior trading standards officer at Lincolnshire County Council. “I hope that this judgement will send a strong message out to the part-worn tyre industry that those whom neglect their legal obligations will be investigated and enforcement action taken where necessary. If you have purchased tyres from Moss Tyres, please get your car checked at your nearest garage. Lincolnshire Trading Standards wish to take this opportunity to thank Tyresafe for supporting them throughout this investigation.”

Although the legal minimum tread depth for tyres in the UK is 1.6mm, a part-worn tyre must have a minimum 2mm tread depth across the whole of the tyre before it can be legally sold. Tyres must also be free from cuts, lumps or any other damages that compromise structural integrity, and are required to pass an inflation test. The 1.6mm minimum tread depth and 2mm part-worn tread requirement are both, admittedly, far below what TyreSafe considers an adequate tread depth. The safety organisation states it is “advisable to consider replacing your tyres well before they reach the legal minimum [tread depth]” and notes that tests conducted by the British Tyre Manufacturers’ Association show braking distances in wet weather to be almost 12 metres longer from 50mph on tyres with only 1.6mm of tread depth compared with the stopping distance on new tyres.