Illegal tyre dealer sentence ‘serves as warning’

Not-for-profit tyre safety organisation TyreSafe has said the recent court sentencing of an illegal tyre seller should serve as a warning to the rest of the tyre retail industry.

On 7 April, Lincoln Crown Court handed Luke McKenzie, who was trading at Moss Tyres in Grantham, a nine-month suspended sentence and £26,000 in fees after he was found guilty of possessing and supplying dangerous products.

The tyre dealer, which sold new and part-worn tyres, was the subject of a test purchase operation by Trading Standards, supported by TyreSafe and the National Tyre Distributors Association, following a number of customer complaints.

Daniel Brown, senior trading standards officer at Lincolnshire County Council, said that many of the tyres seized as part of the operation: “had serious safety defects that could have had life-threatening consequences.”

He added: “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.”

Stuart Jackson, chairman of TyreSafe, said the sentence represented a “clear message” to tyre retailers.

“As an industry body committed to safety, and with members who make up a large proportion of the UK tyre industry, we are pleased to see that motorists are being protected from illegal and sub-standard products that will endanger lives,” he said.

“TyreSafe will continue to support these investigations in any way it can, supplying expert advice and evidence as in the case of Moss Tyres.”