PUBLIC consultation on proposed laws banning the use of older tyres on large vehicles is now underway.

Wirral Council was among the first in the country to back the campaign back in October of 2017.

Under road safety legislation that could be introduced later this year, tyres aged 10 years and older would be banned from use on buses, coaches, lorries and minibuses in new proposals being consulted on from this week.

If supported, the new rules could be in force by early 2020.

The campaign was launched by Frances Molloy whose son Michael died in a coach crash caused by a 19-year-old tyre in 2012.

Wiral Council Conservative group leader Cllr Ian Lewis told the Globe: "The ban is long overdue and it's down to the sheer determination of Frances backed by the team at Tyred that it's now imminent.

"There will be people whose lives will be saved because of the campaign by Frances."

Road safety minister Michael Ellis said: "There is increasing evidence that age affects the safety of tyres, which is why I think older tyres should not be used on large vehicles.

"I would like to thank Frances Molloy and the Tyred campaign for their work raising this important issue – the changes we are consulting on could save lives."

The consultation, which runs for ten weeks, asks whether older tyres should be banned on buses, coaches, lorries and minibuses.

In the meantime, bus operators have been advised not to use older tyres at the front of their vehicles.

Inspections of 130,000 buses by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency since 2017 showed only 0.06 per cent were in breach of the guidance.

The agency also updated its guidance on maintaining roadworthiness to say tyres aged 10 years and older should not be used on the front axles of heavy goods vehicles, as well as buses and coaches.

A growing body of evidence includes research, commissioned by the Department for Transport and published last week, which shows ageing tyres suffer corrosion which could cause them to fail.