Condition and maintenance of tyres
27.—(1) Save as provided in paragraphs (2), (3) and (4), a wheeled motor vehicle or trailer a wheel of which is fitted with a pneumatic tyre shall not be used on a road, if—
(a)the tyre is unsuitable having regard to the use to which the motor vehicle or trailer is being put or to the types of tyres fitted to its other wheels;
(b)the tyre is not so inflated as to make it fit for the use to which the motor vehicle or trailer is being put;
(c)the tyre has a cut in excess of 25 mm or 10% 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;
(d)the tyre has any lump, bulge or tear caused by separation or partial failure of its structure;
(e)the tyre has any of the ply or cord exposed;
(f)the base of any groove which showed in the original tread pattern of the tyre is not clearly visible;
(g)either—
(i) the grooves of the tread pattern of the tyre do not have a depth of at least 1 mm throughout a continuous band measuring at least three-quarters of the breadth of the tread and round the entire outer circumference of the tyre; or
(ii) if the grooves of the original tread pattern of the tyre did not extend beyond three-quarters of the breadth of the tread, any groove which showed in the original tread pattern does not have a depth of at least 1 mm; or
(h)the tyre is not maintained in such condition as to be fit for the use to which the vehicle or trailer is being put or has a defect which might in any way cause damage to the surface of the road or damage to persons on or in the vehicle or to other persons using the road.
(2) Paragraph (1) does not prohibit the use on a road of a motor vehicle or trailer by reason only of the fact that a wheel of the vehicle or trailer is fitted with a tyre which is deflated or not fully inflated and which has any of the defects described in sub-paragraph (c), (d) or (e) of paragraph (1), if the tyre and the wheel to which it is fitted are so constructed as to make the tyre in that condition fit for the use to which the motor vehicle or trailer is being put and the outer sides of the wall of the tyre are so marked as to enable the tyre to be identified as having been constructed to comply with the requirements of this paragraph.
(3) Paragraph (1)(a) does not prohibit the use on a road of a passenger vehicle (not being a bus) by reason only of the fact that a wheel of the vehicle is fitted with a temporary use spare tyre, unless the vehicle is driven at a speed exceeding 50 mph.
(4) (a) Nothing in paragraph (1)(a) to (g) applies to—
(i) an agricultural motor vehicle that is not driven at more than 20 mph;
(ii) an agricultural trailer;
(iii) an agricultural trailed appliance; or
(iv) a broken down vehicle or a vehicle proceeding to a place where it is to be broken up, being drawn, in either case, by a motor vehicle at a speed not exceeding 20 mph.
(b)Nothing in paragraph (1)(f) and (g) applies to—
(i) a three-wheeled motor cycle the unladen weight of which does not exceed 102 kg and which has a maximum speed of 12 mph; or
(ii) a pedestrian-controlled works truck.
(c)Nothing in paragraph (1)(g) applies to a motorcycle with an engine capacity which does not exceed 50 cc.
(5) A recut pneumatic tyre shall not be fitted to any wheel of a motor vehicle or trailer if—
(a)its ply or cord has been cut or exposed by the recutting process; or
(b)it has been wholly or partially recut in a pattern other than the manufacturer's recut tread pattern.
(6) (a) In this regulation—
“breadth of tread” means
“original tread pattern” means
a re-treaded tyre, the tread pattern of the tyre immediately after the tyre was re-treaded;
a wholly recut tyre, the manufacturer's recut tread pattern;
a partially recut tyre, on that part of the tyre which has been recut, the manufacturer's recut tread pattern, and on the other part, the tread pattern of the tyre when new, and
any other tyre, the tread pattern of the tyre when the tyre was new.
“tie-bar” means
“tread pattern” means
tie bars or tread wear indicators;
features which are designed to wear out substantially before the rest of the pattern under normal conditions of use; and
other minor features; and
“tread wear indicator” means
(b)The references in paragraph (1)(g)(i) to grooves are references—
if a tyre has been recut, to the grooves of the manufacturer's recut tread pattern; and
if a tyre has not been recut, to the grooves which showed when the tyre was new.