Tyre Sealants (Hansard, 21 July 1980)

§ Mr. Garel-Jones
asked the Minister of Transport whether his answer relating to tyre sealants, Official Report, 1 July, c. 512, referred to aerosol repair sealants and not to preventive sealants injected into undamaged tyres.

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke
My answer was mainly concerned with aerosol sealants used to repair punctured tyres. However, car owners using sealants which go into undamaged tyres should not be led to believe that they can forget their tyres. They should regularly inspect them and if there is a penetrating object in the tyre or any sign that the tyre has sustained a puncture or if there is a slow leak, they should have the tyre removed from the wheel and inspected by a tyre specialist for internal damage. Any damage should then be properly and permanently repaired.

§ Mr. Garel Jones
asked the Minister of Transport (1) whether he has any evidence that preventive sealants injected into undamaged tyres are either dangerous or unreliable;
(2) what evidence he has that preventive sealants injected into undamaged tyres enhance safety; and if he will conduct tests to establish the extent to which they do so.

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke
It would be extremely expensive to carry out the trials which would be necessary to obtain reliable information on these points. But the limited tests carried out by this Department and the Automobile Association suggest that sealants of this kind do not consistently produce a long lasting seal. I am having further tests done to check whether sealants being offered for sale have any adverse effect on the structure or material of tyres.

§ Mr. Greville Janner
asked the Minister of Transport how many drivers have 108W been prosecuted during each of the past five years for offences under the Construction and Use Regulations resulting from the use of tyre sealants.

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke
I am not aware of any such prosecutions and no separate statistics would be kept of them. But it is an offence to use a tyre which is unfit for the use to which a vehicle is being put. Prosecution could result if motorists used seriously under-inflated or damaged tyres which had been treated with a tyre sealant.

§ Mr. Greville Janner
asked the Minister of Transport (1) whether he will institute an advertising campaign to warn drivers and garages of the dangers of using tyre sealants, as set out by him in his answer to the hon. and learned Member for Leicester, West of 1 July;

(2) whether, in view of the large number of inexperienced drivers who will take to the road during the forthcoming holiday season, he will seek to arrange for warning notices to be posted at garages, repair shops, accessory shops and tyre repair centres, warning of the dangers involved in the use of tyre sealants, as set out in his answer to the hon. and learned Member for Leicester, West of 1 July;

(3) whether, in view of the absence of information regarding accidents caused by unsafe tyre sealants, as specified in his reply to the hon. and learned Member for Leicester, West of 1 July, he will now take steps to ensure that such information is obtained and made available at the earliest possible date;

(4) whether he will place an advertisement in all motor trade and motoring newspapers and journals warning of the dangers inherent in the use of tyre sealants, as specified in his reply to the hon. and learned Member for Leicester, West on 1 July;

(5) whether he will take steps to warn the public of the serious dangers specified by him in his answer to the hon. and learned Member for Leicester, West of 1 July;

(6) what steps he is taking to ensure that distributors of tyre sealants receive clear instructions regarding the dangers in using them;

(7) whether, in view of the dangers inherent in the use of tyre sealants and the probabality that users will not recognise 109 and guard against them, he will now take steps to ban the sale of tyre sealants.

(8) whether he has consulted manufacturers and distributors of tyre sealants, respectively, regarding their sale or their marking; and if so, with what result;

(9) whether he has consulted the Automobile Association regarding its report showing that tyre sealants are dangerous and unreliable;

(10) whether he will request the road research laboratory to carry out requests to ascertain the extent of the danger incurred by motorists who use tyre sealants.

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke
I see no case, on present evidence, for a general ban on the sale of tyre sealants. But I have already issued a warning to the public about the dangers that can arise if they are not used with the very greatest care. My officials are in touch with the manufacturers and distributors about the need for suitable warnings and instructions for use to be displayed in advertising material and on product containers.
I am also having further tests carried out on the various types of sealant. This will supplement the work already carried out by the Automobile Association, of which I am fully aware. But I shall be happy to have any further evidence the association or others may like to put to me.
I believe this approach will be of more value than setting up a costly investigation to discover how many accidents may have been caused by tyre sealants. But the hon. and learned Member may be assured that I will take all necessary steps to safeguard the interests of the public in this area.