Covid pandemic blamed for UK rise in cracked tyres

Motorists urged to carry out safety check as rubber on cars left idle for long periods can deteriorate

There has been a sharp rise in the number of cars with cracked tyres - which can result in an MOT failure - because of vehicles lying idle during the coronavirus pandemic.

Figures from Kwik Fit, the car maintenance chain, show that its mechanics saw almost twice as many cars with premature cracking last year compared with before the lockdowns.