PETROL retailers should ensure their tyre pressure gauges are working and are accurate, the RAC Foundation has claimed, after it received complaints that many were inoperable.

Wrongly inflated tyres contribute to accidents and increase fuel consumption, the foundation claimed. It called on Trading Standards departments of local authorities to carry out regular tests of their accuracy.

Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation said: ‘Garage operators could do a lot to restore good relations with customers by providing reliable air equipment free of charge.’