€1 fee for air 'a step too far', says tyre chief

The criticism was made by a leading motor industry figure as a new survey found that one in six cars here had tyres in dangerous condition.

A number of service stations now charge €1 for air, but charging for what is a safety measure is too much, Continental Tyres chief Tom Dennigan said.

His comments coincided with one of the biggest surveys on the condition of tyres in the past 10 years. He described some of the findings as "shocking".

It found that four in 10 cars had "dangerously inflated" tyres while one in six had tyres on or below the absolute legal minimum tread depth of 1.6mm.

"It's shocking," Mr Dennigan said. "Motorists have been cutting back but they should not put their families' safety at risk."

Irish Independent