Drivers forced to replace tyres burst by road spikes

More than a dozen motorists have been forced to spend hundreds of pounds to replace tyres punctured by metal road spikes.

Adam Richards, who runs Broseley Tyres in Broseley, Shropshire, said he was inundated with multiple customers earlier this week who came to him with burst tyres.

"I've never seen anything like this except in police programmes... it takes a lot of force to get through a tyre, by the looks of it they have been made solely for that reason."

West Mercia Police said The Safer Neighbourhood Team in Broseley was aware and is monitoring the situation.

Mr Richards said the spikes look like sharp metal boomerangs and that he was shocked to have so many customers with the same spikes in their tyres.

He believes that someone had thrown them into the road on purpose but says there are conflicting reports about where drivers have picked up the spikes.

"It's predominantly people coming back into Broseley, we think it's near Blists Hill or the Jackfield Free Bridge but there's no way to be completely certain...but I'd definitely be careful if you're in that area."

He added that his customers were shocked to see him pull the pieces of metal out of their deflated tyres.

"One guy pointed it out to me and said it looked like the blade of a Stanley knife. If you're on a motorbike and you hit one of these it could be fatal," he continued.

Dave Rickett is a locksmith in Broseley and had two of his car tyres punctured by the metal spikes.

He said his business and reputation had been impacted as he had to postpone and cancel customers' appointments.

"I can appreciate that it can happen at any time but to get two punctures and for it to be bits of metal that have been thrown on the road is extremely frustrating for me and all my customers."

Mr Rickett added that he was lucky he was heading home when he got a puncture, instead of leaving Broseley on the A442 where a blown tyre could have been fatal.

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