By Oliver Hall

A road safety assistant is facing disciplinary action after claiming he was forced to drive a council van with unsafe tyres.

Francis Azopardi became so anxious about the state of the tyres on the Safer Roads initiative van, which is emblazoned with the Milton Keynes Council and Thames Valley Police logos, that he was signed off work with stress.

Mr Azopardi said: “I’m responsible for public safety and yet I had to drive a vehicle that in my opinion was unsafe.

“Three of the tyres were so bald they would be dangerous if I had to stop suddenly, particularly in wet weather. It could have caused a terrible accident and even the death of other people on the road.

“I kept complaining to my bosses but they wouldn’t listen. They even started shouting at me.”

On Friday, Francis drove the pool van to a garage for an independent check, where staff agreed three tyres appeared to be very close to the legal limit and definitely in need of changing.

A spokesman for the trading standards-approved garage said: “We examined the tyres carefully and we stick by our opinion.”

Francis took the van to the council’s own vehicle depot at Bleak Hall, where he says staff confirmed the tread was 1.8mm, well below the council regulation 2.5mm.

He applied for it to be taken off the road until replacements were fitted, then returned to the office – only to face what he describes as a ‘barrage of shouting’.

He added: “They said there was nothing wrong with the tyres, and I would have to go through disciplinary proceedings.

“I am upset, of course, but in terms of public safety I do not regret what I did at all.”

A council spokesman insisted: “The tread level was found to be 2.5mm.”

But on Tuesday the van was photographed by the local paper, the Citizen, and it was sporting three new tyres.

Bridgestone tyres lost millions of dollars in the past two years of manufacturing in New Zealand, despite revenues rising to $217 million last year.

The Japanese tyres manufacturer announced the closure of their plant in Christchurch by Christmas, sacking 275 people in a move that has devastated workers, their union says.

Companies Office files show Bridgestone, a tyre maker, retailer and wholesaler, lost $7.1 million in the 2008 calendar year in New Zealand.

The Bridgestone NZ loss in the previous year was $3.8m. The firm made a $1.2m profit in 2006.

In announcing the closure of the Christchurch plant and one in Adelaide, Australia, Bridgestone’s owners in Japan blamed intensifying cost competition globally. In Adelaide, 600 jobs will go.

Bridgestone is Japan’s biggest maker of tyres and in the half year to June made a loss of 38.3 billion, hit by the economic downturn in Japan, the United States and Europe.

“Despite continued efforts to improve cost competitiveness at both plants, international competitive forces have been making tyre manufacturing in Australia and New Zealand increasingly difficult to the point where the operations in both countries are no longer viable,” the company said.

Alex Kapadia, Operations Team

Drivers are being urged to make sure their tyres are legal and their vehicles are roadworthy as winter sets in.

The message is being driven home by the is is the government’s road safety unit which has launched its campaign to remind motorists to check their vehicle is ‘fit for the road’ as winter arrives.

With the clocks having gone back on Saturday night and the nights drawing in, vehicle owners are being reminded to ensure their motor’s in good working order for safe driving.

Police and vehicle examiners will be carrying out spot checks over the next few weeks and motorists are being reminded to buy anything they need, such as wiper blades and light bulbs.

The message: a quick check of your vehicle may stop you getting pulled over and ultimately may help save someone’s life.

Having defective lights, tyres, wipers or demisters could result in you being banned from driving until the defects have been rectified.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

By Denna Bowman

Eight Kwik-Fit bosses have been sacked after an inquiry into a scheme allowing free tyres and repairs for disabled drivers, according to an exclusive report in the Glasgow Sunday Mail.

The managers, all from Scottish branches of the tyres chain, were among 32 who were suspended after a series of raids last month.

The majority of the others have returned to work.

Kwik-Fit are scrutinising repairs dating back to 2003 when the firm were first awarded the £30million contract for the Government’s Motability programme.

The investigation has focused on claims of systematic abuse of the deal, which gives 520,000 disabled drivers free tyres, exhausts and brakes at Kwik-Fit.

Workers are alleged to have defrauded the scheme to line their own pockets.

It has been claimed drivers paying cash for a replacement exhaust, tyres or brakes were given the replacement but workers logged the repair as a Motability job and divided up the cash.

One insider said: “The Motability scheme allows for anyone with a Motability car to get free tyres, exhausts and brakes at any Kwik-Fit.

“When a punter came in who wanted to pay cash, it was put through as a Motability claim.

“They had already won the fleet contract and been paid for it, so it was simply a matter of logging it as a Motability job on the computer accounts. They were all earning between £180 and £200 each a month on top of their wages.

“The investigation could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds and police might be called in to deal with those suspected of lining their pockets at the expense of the taxpayer.”

A Kwik-Fit spokesman said the disciplinary action followed an internal audit.

Forensic computer experts are still scrutinising entries for work carried out and payments received.

A Kwik-Fit spokesman said: “Kwik-Fit confirms that it has completed an investigation into the internal processing of certain transactions.

“Appropriate measures have been taken against any employees found to have acted improperly.”

The Daily Telegraph’s excellent motoring agony aunt Honest John is gathering support for his campaign against speed bumps.

A reader wrote last week about he was suffering blowouts with this tyres and he was concerned the twice-occurring problem stemmed from the large number of speed bumps near his home.

Honest John replied: “It’s highly likely. All drivers need to inspect the inner shoulders of their tyres for this sort of damage daily. At least 46 people were killed by tyre failures in 2007, many of which were caused by inner shoulder damage inflicted by speed cushions, and, since the number of speed cushions has risen hugely since 2007, it’s logical that the number of deaths caused by them must have also increased. I am trying to set up a proper test to establish how many speed cushions a car has to straddle before serious damage occurs to the inner shoulders of its tyres. Always drive over speed cushions one wheel over, one wheel on the road. Eventually this will break springs, but that is better than blowouts.”

Alex Kapadia, Operations Team

By Denna Bowman

An alarming 25% of company car drivers may be putting their safety at risk and breaking the law because they have never checked the tread depth of their tyres.

And a further 41 per cent confessed they had not checked their tyre treads over the last six months, according to the study by TyreSafe.

Both companies and employees have responsibility for tyre safety on fleet vehicles and those not making the necessary checks face fines and other penalties.

To simplify the task of checking tyre tread, companies are being encouraged to promote TyreSafe’s ‘lifesaver in your pocket’ initiative to their employees which encourages simple monthly checks, using a 20p coin.

Stuart Jackson, chairman of the tyre safety organisation, said: “As part of their health and safety obligations, companies should make sure that drivers understand their own individual responsibility towards tyre checks.

“Company car drivers typically cover around 20,000 miles per year, almost double that of private motorists so it is particularly important that they pay attention to their tyres.

“Our 20p lifesaver is a really quick and simple way of seeing if your tyres have enough tread to be safe and legal.

“By performing these checks just once a month, we believe the number of work-related accidents and cost to UK businesses can be dramatically reduced.”

By Oliver Hall

Hankook tyres have announced a huge 536.4% leap in operating profits for the third quarter.

The South Korea tyres manufacturer also posted a 26.4% increase in net sales over numbers achieved during the same period in 2008.

Hankook finished the quarter with 275 billion won in profit and sales of 1.44 trillion won.

In the US, Hankook’s replacement tyre sales jumped 18% over the second quarter 2009 level and were 21% ahead of sales numbers achieved during the same period in 2008, with ultra-high performance tyres leading the way.

Seung Hwa Suh, CEO and President of Hankook, said: “The majority of our growth this year in the US. has come from our replacement business.

“Replacement sales have shown significant increases over the last three quarters, illustrating the trend that consumers are focusing on high value products.”

He added: “Despite the economic climate, Hankook Tyre has continued to stand out with its record high performance.

“The tyre industry is extremely competitive; it is essential that we continue investing to ensure sustainable growth.

He emphasised that the company “remains positive about growth prospects for the future as we continue to increase brand preference and devote ourselves to providing consumers with value-added high-quality products and services.”

A top US lawman became the victim of crime when the tyres were stolen from his official SUV while it was parked on his driveway.

The thieves whipped two sets of wheels and tyres from the county-issue vehicle of Harris County sheriff Adrian Garcia Harris during a overnight crime spree.

But it wasn’t just the lawman who was surprised – his neighbours were equally astonished by the news.

“I thought having him living across the street would make things safer for me but I guess not,” said Jack Castle lives close by.

The vehicle had been parked in the sheriffs driveway and investigators believe the crime took place during the overnight hours.

“We’re not sure of the precise time but know it was sometime between midnight and early today,” said Christina Garza, the Public Information Officer for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

Garza said officials were seeking the public’s help in tracking down the thieves. She also added that replacing the wheels and tyres will cost the county $1,600.

“This is crazy,” said Ernest Equia, who has lived in the neighborhood for 30 years. “This makes me feel like we have thieves everywhere.”

Denna Bowman, Operations Team

The nights will be drawing in even closer once we turn the clocks back tonight and fewer daylight hours can make driving more hazardous.

Making sure your tyres are safe and legal is one way or reducing your chances of being involved in an accident this autumn.

Tyres should have legal minimum of 1.6mm tread to offer drivers the most effective grip in wet and slippery conditions.

And tyres should also be properly inflated to the recommended level – refer to the manufacturers handbook for your car – to cope with hazardous conditions.

Janet Connor, managing director at specialist insurer RIAS, says: “The darker conditions can make it difficult to judge both speed and distance, so by adjusting to the season and performing regular checks, motorists can avoid both accidents and financial headaches.”

Other car maintenance jobs on your checklist should include checking brake fluid, oil levels, coolant and screen wash.

Alex, National Call Centre

By Alex Kapadia

Proposed new EU rules on tyres that automatically sound an alarm when they need changing, have been criticised by an environmental lobby group.

The car Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TRMS) will send a signal to the car’s dashboard if the pressure in the tyres falls below the correct level.

However, the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) fears the proposed law has been watered down after pressure from car makers to install a less effective system.

Instead of all new cars being fitted with a system that works in real time and detects a pressure problem immediately, the cheaper “indirect” system, which takes up to an hour of driving to take a reading, is being favoured by the EU politicians.

However, since the average car journey time in Europe is only 20 minutes this will reduce the effectiveness of the system, according to the ETA.

A spokesperson the lobby group, which is pushing for direct tyre monitoring systems to be fitted as standard, said: “Tyre pressure monitoring devices are good for drivers and good for the planet, but it looks likely that a cost-cutting exercise will see car makers fitting an inferior system.”

Correctly inflated tyres last longer, provide better road handling and improve fuel efficiency by around 2 per cent.

Whilst the saving in fuel costs each month for the average driver is modest, it is estimated that underinflated tyres lead to an additional 12 megatonnes of CO2 emissions every year.

Direct systems respond much more quickly than indirect systems, give more accurate readings, but at £22 per vehicle cost three times more than the indirect systems. However, over the life of the car they save on average £350 of fuel.