A former landscape gardener turned green entrepreneur is developing a growing business turning old tyres into hardy sports pitches.

Thanks to Conor O’Neill, thousands of tyres which could have been dumped or stockpiled are now being recycled to make some of Ireland’s top GAA pitches playable all year round.

The revolutionary new pitches are saving and generating thousands of euros for GAA clubs while also helping to keep star inter-county players injury free.

O’Neill, a 23-year-old entrepreneur, already counts some of the country’s top GAA clubs among his growing list of customers since launching Rubber Pitches Ireland.

The former landscape gardener said: “I spent six years researching the idea and travelled extensively throughout Europe to work out the best system for developing and maintaining a pitch.

“I discovered that tyres can be granulated to create a crumb rubber product which improves turf grass, making pitches more durable and even safer for athletes.

“These pitches can take serious wear and tear. They won’t freeze or water-log, making them playable all year round and they even improve the natural bounce of a ball.

“The rubber based foundation also acts as a shock absorber, reducing the impact on muscles and joints and inter-county managers and coaches have found that this helps to prevent players from picking up injuries or aggravating old injuries.”

The product has been tested and approved by The Sports Turf Research Institute, who are among the world’s leading independent consultants for turf grass research and agronomy, and the quality of the product has also led to Mr O’Neill’s business being credited with the Guaranteed Irish standard.

Michelin tyres have been asked to “modify or discontinue” advertising claims after rivals Bridgestone challenged their content for the second time in a year.

The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus did not find fault with the tyres commercials, according to the Tyre Review.

However, it has asked Michelin North America to “modify or discontinue, among other claims, certain advertising claims for the Hydro-Edge tyre,” after a complaint was filed by Bridgestone Americas.

Michelin said it would appeal NAD’s decision to the National Advertising Review Board.

It issued a statement saying: “Michelin looks forward to working with the NAD in the future to continue to ensure consumers are clearly and accurately informed as they make their tyre purchases.”

Following Bridgestone’s complaint, NAD, the advertising industry’s self-regulatory body, said it examined “advertising claims made by Michelin in print, broadcast and internet advertising and in a brochure provided to tyre dealers nationwide.”

The claims at issue included:

• “More miles. More fuel efficiency. More than what you pay for.”

• “33,000 miles longer” tyre life.

• Brakes “14 feet shorter.”

• “#1” in fuel efficiency; “Longer lasting, more fuel efficient.”

• “best-in-its-class” for “safety, durability, fuel efficiency and utility.”

According to NAD, it was “concerned with whether the basis of comparison for the superiority claims found throughout the brochure for various Michelin tyres were clearly limited to the objects of the comparison or were likely to be interpreted more broadly. NAD noted that the brochure featured asterisks and endnotes to point the reader to disclosures.

“However, NAD found that, unless the endnotes were carefully read and understood, a dealer could easily take away inaccurate and unsupported messages. NAD recommended that the disclosures, whether they appear in a brochure or any other format in future advertising, be referenced in a clear and conspicuous manner and appear in immediate proximity to the claims being qualified.”

Bridgestone also challenged Michelin’s advertising last May.

Back then Michelin made a multi-state settlement “regarding alleged misrepresentations Michelin made in its advertising of Michelin fuel efficient tyres.”

The tyre-maker denied any wrongdoing, and agreed to make minor changes in the copy of print advertisements it has run concerning the purported fuel efficiency of its tyres.

Making sure tyres are properly inflated, not carrying loads of stuff around in the boot and accelerating smoothly are all ways you make a tank of fuel last longer.

The average petrol price across the country is 115.9p for a litre of unleaded and 116.6p for a litre of diesel, according to Petrolprices.com. However, the Treasury is due to add a further 3p on April 1.

Steve Sweeney from moneysupermarket.com said: “High petrol prices can have a significant impact on the overall cost of motoring, but there are ways people can cut other costs to lessen the blow.

Worn or flat tyres use up more fuel so make regular pressure checks when you stop at petrol stations, and keep your tyres in good condition.

While Will Thomas of Confused.com recommends you empty your boot of any non-essential baggage as the heavier your car, the more fuel it requires to move it.

He adds: “Roof racks make your car less aerodynamic, which, simply put, means it takes more fuel to move your car. Therefore, remove roof racks when not in use.”

Accelerating gradually from a standstill rather than revving the engine, and leaving sufficient space between your car and the car in front to break gently when coming to a stop will save petrol.

Oliver Hall, Operations Team

A nationwide campaign to promote tyres safety awareness among motorcycle riders is gearing up for an April launch.

The campaign, which is being organised by leading tyres safety action group, TyreSafe, aims to drive home the message about the importance of correct tyre care and maintenance at this critical time in the motorcycling season.

Stuart Jackson, chairman of TyreSafe, said: “During April many riders will take their bikes out on their first ride of the year.

“After several months of being stood still, it is vitally important that these riders have their tyres’ condition, pressure and tread depth checked properly to ensure they remain safe on the road.”

During the winter season, tyres fitted to bikes that have not been stored properly may suffer from damage such as cracking or rubber deterioration, making them potentially unsafe or illegal.

Additionally, pressures may have dropped to dangerously low levels and if left uncorrected, will significantly increase the likelihood of suffering from a dangerous blowout at potentially high speeds.

April showers and the resulting wet roads also mean that bikers should have adequate tread depth on their tyres to remove water from the road surface in order to maintain good levels of grip.

Racing pundits reckoned his more aggressive style of driving, which is harder on the tyres, would not suit the new rules which rely on preserving tyres throughout the race.

Hamilton, who stormed home in third place at the opening Grand Prix of the season in Bahrain this weekend, said: “I do feel sort of vindicated.

“This was not supposed to be a racer’s formula but one where you have to protect tyres and think smart. People said it was for smooth drivers but I proved it can be my formula.

“I proved I can look after my tyres as well if not better than anybody. And that has proved the smoothness I have.

“If someone said ‘Jenson and Lewis go out and do the smoothest lap possible’, I guarantee the laps would be the same smoothness.

“If they said be as aggressive as possible, we would be equally aggressive too.

“It’s just a technique we have to have but I still feel there’s room for my aggressiveness.”

Meanwhile, reigning world champion Jenson Button, who is hailed as one of the smoothest operators when it comes to taking care of tyres, admits he was a little too cautious and ended up finishing in seventh place.

Alex Kapadia, Operations Team

The Daily Mail asks if Smithy Lane in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, is the most pothole-ridden road in the UK.

But anyone who has had to fork out for new tyres or other car parts after crashing over any of the craters that are blighting our roads, will feel the locals frustration that Kirklees council are not scheduled to repair it until mid-April.

With more than one pothole per metre of road, drivers down Smithy Lane find themselves navigating something more like a lunar landscape than a road.

Kirklees Council, which is responsible for maintaining the road, has said it has put aside hundreds of thousands of pounds from its £3.5million road repair budget to deal with more than 10,000 potholes in the area.

But the dangerously decrepit road has yet to be treated, because the council is dealing with potholes one ward at a time, in a repair programme which is expected to be complete by mid April.

Unfortunately, this is a story that’s increasingly common around the UK as councils struggle to find the funds and the manpower to repair the potholes opening up on our roads.

Meanwhile, the motorists have to bear the brunt of the impact having to fork out for new tyres, suspension systems, alloy wheels, etc, after their close encounters of the pothole kind.

Denna Bowman, Head Office

Continental tyres have scooped the coveted Fast Car Award for the best wet weather performance.

The judges were impressed with the tyres manufacturers emphasis on safety and the magazine wrote: “Tyres are the most important product you can buy for your car – they keep your ride on the road.

“The Fast Car Awards reward companies that keep investing to develop ever better products, driving both quality and value for the consumer.

“With an emphasis firmly on safety, Conti make original fitment tyres for top-end rides like AMG Mercs, Audi’s R8 and even Ferrari. Wet weather performance is the best we’ve tested and their rubber looks top-notch too.”

The Fast Car awards are an industry standard for quality, exceptional performance, originality, desirability and value.

Tracey Hyem, brand manager at Continental, said: “Continental is no stranger to awards and we are really pleased to add to this collection with the sought after Fast Car honour.

“Wet weather safety is always our main focus when designing a tyre so to be recognised specifically for this is great.”

After fitting replacement Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT tyres on his Audi, GW from Oldham noticed the judder when the car was on full lock.

He asked the panel: “I drive a 2006 Audi A4 S line Special Edition that I have owned since new. Last summer I replaced the front tyres with some Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT tyres. Since December, whenever the car is on full lock, I have noticed a judder coming from the front tyres. I thouht this might be due to the snow but the problem has continued since the thaw. My local Audi dealer said this is normal on an S line but I never had this with my previous tyres, which were similar Dunlops. I would value your opinion.”

Car Clinic Panelist Dave Pollard replied: “At low speeds it is possible to get a strange sensation - commonly known as crabbing - when the wheels are on full lock. This feels as if the tyres are digging into the road and almost tugging at the steering wheel.

“The fact that you didn’t notice this issue straight after the tyre change suggests that it’s probably not down to the tyres (assuming you have the pressure set correctly) but is more likely to be due to a steering alignment (tracking) problem.

“This may be confirmed by excessive or irregular wear on the inside edges of the front tyres and your dealer or local tyre specialist should be able to check and reset the tracking, if that’s required. They can also check the level of wear on the tyres more accuraely than you can, and it’s a good idea to ask them to do so, because if the tyres are too badly worn they may be illegal.

“If you are still in any doubt, call Dunlop’s technical help desk on 01902 453 097 for more advice.”

Oliver Hall, Operations Team

Goodyear has unveiled an ultra-low rolling resistance version of its EfficientGrip summer tyres with Fuel Saving Technology specially designed for the electric vehicles of the future.

The protype tyres have been specifically developed to fulfill the distinctive requirements of electric cars and promise a range of benefits, including top rated energy efficiency and excellent noise and wet braking performance levels.

The tyres are also combined with Goodyear’s latest generation of RunOnFlat Technology for continued mobility after a puncture or complete loss of tyre pressure.

Jean-Pierre Jeusette, Goodyear Dunlop Director Tyre Technology Consumer Tyres for Europe, Middle East and Africa, said: “This EfficientGrip concept tyre showcases our enormous research and development efforts to support the development of electric vehicles with tyres that provide extremely low rolling resistance and noise levels in combination with a very high level of wet performance.

“Looking at the future tyre label, this tyre would receive an ‘A’ for its energy consumption, combined with a ‘B’ for its wet performance and outstanding 71 dbA for its noise level – an achievement of which we at Goodyear are extremely proud.

“Fitted on a standard car this tyre would give 30 percent less rolling resistance which leads to about 6 percent less fuel consumption compared to an average standard summer tyre.”

The tyres manufacturer are looking for the UK’s Biggest Football Fan and want to hear about the incredible lengths followers have gone to in order to get to a match.

If it’s a good story - the more extreme the better - all you have to do is fill out the entry form and tell Conti all about it in no more than 500 words.

You have to show how you proved your loyalty to your team by going to extreme measures to get to a game. The deadline for entries is 19th April.

A judging panel will then select 10 quarter finalists on the 3rd May, which will then be whittled down to four semi-finalists on 17th May.

Each of these semi-finalists will then have to make a video, telling the world why they deserve to scoop the top spot, these will be posted on the website and voted for by members of the public.

The contestant with the most votes will be announced on 28th May and will win an amazing holiday to South Africa and of course the honour of being awarded the title of ‘Britain’s Biggest Football Fan’.

To take part go to www.whowillwintheworldcup.co.uk.

Denna Bowman, Head Office