Drivers who fail to complete check before Monday morning risk £10,000 fine

Drivers have been told to make an urgent tyre check before Monday arrives - or risk a £10,000 fine. It's crucial to check tyre depth as snow looks set to hit from Monday (November 18) onwards, with the Met Office issuing yellow warnings for snow.

Failure to ensure your tyres are safe could result in a £2,500 fine - per tyre. Simon Waye, technical engineer at ATS Euromaster, recommended that they check the tread depths of their tyres before setting off in the wintry conditions.

He said: "Tyres with very low tread wear can seriously affect your grip, which is especially dangerous in ice. You can check your thread by using a penny upside down in between the tyre tread if you can see the top of the Queen’s head, the treads are worn and need replacing.

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"The legal limit is at least 1.6mm across the central three-quarters of the tyre. You may want to consider getting winter or all season tyres, which offer more grip." He added: "Getting stuck in traffic in bad weather increases your fuel consumption so make sure you have enough fuel in your car.

"Also make sure you have warm clothing in case you do have to stop." The RAC says winter tyres are designed to improve the road handling of your car when the temperature drops. They have a softer rubber compound, along with deeper grooves and narrow cuts – called sipes – built into the tread.

These features help disperse water/snow, and allow the rubber to flex – improving traction and grip in cold conditions. You can identify winter tyres by the symbols on the sidewall. These are the M+S symbol and the three-peak mountain snowflake (3PMSF) symbol, and both are industry standards.

"Winter tyres work best at temperatures below seven degrees Celsius. Indeed, they outperform conventional ‘summer’ tyres for traction, cornering grip and braking in such conditions – regardless of whether there is snow or ice," the RAC added.