UK News

Expert questions tyre role in marine pollution claims
Professor Richard Thompson OBE, who leads the International Marine Research Unit at the University of Plymouth, has questioned claims made by the Marine Conservation Society relating the role played by tyre wear in marine microplastic pollution.

Wills Brothers trials Wheely-Safe Michelin TPMS Light Fleet
Cornwall-based Wills Brothers has become one of the first farms in the UK to fit a patented new safety system designed to protect machinery and trailers from the risk of tyre under-inflation. Arable Manager Tom Wills specified the Michelin Tyre Pressure Management System (TPMS) Light Fleet – pioneered by UK technology firm Wheely-Safe, an official licensee of Michelin – after seeing the product on show at Lamma.
VRA adds its support to BVRLA’s new WLTP consultation campaign
The Vehicle Remarketing Association has added its support to the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association’s response to the current Government’s Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) consultation. Sam Watkins, chair at the VRA, said that her organisation shared the BVRLA’s concern about how the potential, negative impact on the company car sector could have widespread repercussions.

SMPE appoints new marketing and communications manager
Leading automotive parts manufacturer and supplier Standard Motor Products Europe (SMPE), has strengthened its team with the appointment of Will Fry as marketing and communications manager.

Engineers working on £120 million Fort William alloy wheel factory
On 5 February plans to make Fort William a UK alloy wheel centre of excellence reached another milestone as ground engineers moved onto the site earmarked for Liberty’s flagship factory. According to the company, the technical team moved in with their rigs and excavators for six weeks of in-depth ground investigations which will provide vital information for the design of foundations for the planned plant that is intended to manufacture wheels for at least a fifth of all UK-made cars from 2022 onwards.

MPs announce safety inquiry at Westminster Professional Recovery Operators Federation launch
The recovery industry has joined together to form the Professional Recovery Operators Federation (PROF), which was launched at an event in the Houses of Parliament on 12 February. PROF focusses on representing the interests of professional recovery operators in Westminster.

Goodyear certified ‘Top Employer UK’ for the sixth time
Goodyear has been recognized by the Top Employers Institute as a ‘Top Employer’ in the United Kingdom for the sixth time. This certification is granted on a yearly basis by the independent organisation Top Employers Institute to companies that dedicate themselves to providing the very best working environment for employees through their progressive ‘people-first’ HR practices.

Conti offers free AllSeasonContact demonstrations at Mercedes-Benz World
Continental is offering drivers free all-season tyre demonstrations this February half term. The German tyre manufacturer will offer the free demonstrations at Mercedes-Benz World as Partner in Excellence, highlighting its award-winning range across each season and weather eventuality. Tests will also mark the first time its AllSeasonContact has been available for consumer experiences within the UK.

Tyre Recovery Association announces details for 2019 Recycling Forum Day
The Tyre Recovery Association (TRA) has announced its Recycling Day Forum will be held on 18 June 2019 at the Ardencote Manor Hotel, Warwick. The theme for this year’s event is ‘2020 and Beyond’ with guests from Europe and from the UK discussing the direction of tyre recycling in the future.
80% of UK motorists ‘would support’ older driver annual checks after Prince Philip crash
The UK’s biggest online garage and car repair marketplace has revealed that more than four fifths (83 per cent) of British drivers believe there should be annual safety checks for older drivers in the UK, following Prince Philip’s car accident last month.
Are UK Highways on Road to Ruin?
Highways sector stakeholders agree we have a ‘roads crisis’ in the UK, blame planning, scheduling and bureaucracy for hampering progress and believe digital technology is being significantly underutilised.
98 per cent of UK drivers say they love their cars this Valentine’s Day
This Valentine’s Day, 98 per cent of the UK’s drivers are spending it with something they love, even if this is a vehicle. Maybe this is because for eight out of ten drivers, cars give them a sense of freedom and for four out of ten, it never lets them down? Both things which cannot always be said of real-life relationships.

Middleton Manufacturing goes big on Britishness with car mats range
Middleton Manufacturing has begun a campaign to promote its UK manufacturing heritage. The UK’s largest supplier of mats manufactured in the UK is urging retailers to “seize on the demand for British products that promote green and ethical benefits.” It states that CO2 emissions produced as a result of the logistics and production processes involved are significantly less when compared against an overseas alternative.

Rising rally star Fossey to run on Yokohama tyres, renewing deal
Rising rally star Ed Fossey will continue to expand his experience on Yokohama tyres in 2019. The 20-year-old has been retained by global tyre brand Yokohama for a fourth year in a row, with Fossey promising push the Japanese products to the limits in the search for impressive stage times and class wins in his Peugeot 208 R2.

Sly Agri Ltd signs Magna Tyres rubber tracks distribution agreement
Magna Tyres Group has signed a new partnership with UK rubber track supplier Sly Agri Ltd. The strategic agreement enables Sly Agri to purchase and resell the Rubber Track retread for the agricultural sector. The contract was signed by George Sly and Stephan van Leeuwen during the LAMMA Show in Birmingham.