The Motor Vehicle Tyres (Safety) Regulations 1994

Supply of part-worn tyres

7.—(1) Subject to Part III of these Regulations, no person shall supply—

(a) any part-worn tyre (not being a retreaded tyre) designed so as to be capable of being fitted to a wheel of a motor vehicle or trailer; or

(b) any part-worn retreaded tyre designed so as to be capable of being fitted to a wheel of a passenger car, commercial vehicle or trailer,

unless the following requirements are met.

(2) The tyre must not have—

(a) any cut in excess of 25 millimetres or 10 per cent. of the section width of the tyre, whichever is the greater, measured in any direction on the outside of the tyre and deep enough to reach the ply or cord;

(b) any internal or external lump, bulge or tear caused by the separation or partial failure of its structure; or

(c) any of the ply or cord exposed internally or externally.

(3) When inflated to the highest pressure at which it is designed to operate, the tyre must not exhibit any of the external defects described in paragraph (2).

(4) The base of any groove which showed in the original tread pattern of the tyre must be clearly visible.

(5) The grooves of the original tread pattern of the tyre must be of a depth of at least 2 millimetres across the full breadth of tread and round the entire outer circumference of the tyre.

(6) If the tyre has not been retreaded and is designed so as to be capable of being fitted to a wheel of a passenger car, commercial vehicle or trailer, it must bear—

(a) an approval mark, being a mark that was moulded on to or into the tyre at the time that it was manufactured and that is in accordance with the requirements of ECE Regulation 30, 30.01, 30.02 or 54 or of EC Directive 92/23; and

(b) immediately adjacent to every approval mark borne by the tyre, a mark that meets the requirements of paragraph (12).

(7) If the tyre has not been retreaded and is designed so as to be capable of being fitted to a wheel of a passenger car, commercial vehicle or trailer, it must bear a speed category symbol and load-capacity index, being marks that were moulded on to or into the tyre at the time that it was manufactured and that are in accordance with the requirements of ECE Regulation 30, 30.01, 30.02 or 54 or of EC Directive 92/23.

(8) If the tyre has been retreaded,

(a) it must bear the mark “BS AU 144b”, “BS AU 144c”, “BS AU 144d” or “BS AU 144e”;

(b) the mark must have been permanently and legibly applied to the tyre at the time that it was retreaded; and

(c) it must bear, immediately adjacent to every mark of a description specified in sub-paragraph (a) and borne by the tyre, a mark that meets the requirements of paragraph (12).

(9) If the tyre has been retreaded and bears the mark “BS AU 144e”, it must bear a speed category symbol and load-capacity index, being marks that were permanently and legibly applied to the tyre at the time that it was manufactured or retreaded and that are in accordance with BS AU 144e: 1988.

(10) If the tyre has been repaired, it must have been properly repaired.

(11) Without prejudice to paragraph (10), if the tyre has been repaired, it must meet the requirements of paragraph 7 of BS AU 159e: 1990 (which include marking requirements) and the requirements of paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 of that instrument must have been met in relation to the repair.

(12) In order for a mark to meet the requirements of this paragraph, it must consist of the word “PART-WORN” in uppercase letters at least 4 millimetres high and must have been permanently and legibly applied to the tyre other than by hot branding or otherwise cutting into the tyre.