Drivers in Dumbarton and the Vale considering buying part-worn tyres are being urged to "think again".

The warning from TyreSafe follows recent convictions of retailers across the country which have again highlighted the potential risks unsuspecting motorists take when buying part-worn tyres.

The safety campaigning body said cases in Scotland and London revealed how dangerous and illegal tyres were being sold to the public following joint investigations with Trading Standards. In each instance, the retailers faced stiff penalties and fines totalling thousands of pounds.

In December 2018, the owner of a tyre and valet centre in Ayrshire was handed a 120-hour community payback order for breaches in product safety and consumer protection regulations following prosecution by Trading Standards officers.

At the hearing, it was revealed tyres had been offered for sale with an 80mm nail through a sidewall and a socket embedded in the tread.

Stuart Jackson, chairman of TyreSafe, said: “The continued vigilance of Trading Standards teams the length and breadth of the UK means at least some illegal and unsafe part worn tyres are being removed from the market.

"However, it is clear we are just scratching the surface of a trade where a completely unacceptable level of professional incompetence and worryingly high proportion of dangerous products are being sold.

"Nobody is arguing for an outright ban of part-worns but when over 60 per cent of tyres inspected are unsafe to return to the roads, it is clear that the sale of part-worn tyres all too often represents a clear and present danger to road safety.

“Until this scandalous situation is resolved, TyreSafe urges motorists considering buying part-worns to think again."

During Tyre Safety Month in October, 99 per cent of the 68 part-worn tyre retailers investigated were not complying with the regulations governing their sale and three quarters of tyres inspected were dangerous.