River Wissey Lovell Fuller

Editorial

March 2002

Q: What do Favor Parker and part-worn tyres have in common? A: They both appear in this month's editorial

Two points about the March issue. We have a bumper issue for a number of reasons. First, and most important, you the readers have inundated me with letters and articles. Well done. Long may it last? It is always easier for me to omit things than to invent items. Second, I thought that in the light of interest shown by the community, I should include the Favor Parker Liaison Committee Meeting Minutes in full. Finally, we are beginning to gather some new contributors; we are delighted with the efforts of Ron, Les and Graham, but it really is good to see the newcomers offering an input. It is your Magazine, so keep the items coming. You will also note that I have tried a slightly different layout. I have long felt that the lack of a back cover gave the impression of a half completed edition. Your committee endorsed my suggestion that we include a hardback cover and suggested that this would make a useful vehicle for the information pages. So, that's what I have done. If you have any suggestions that would further improve our magazine, please let me know.

This week I had two new tyres fitted on my car; they had completed just over 30,000 miles so I couldn't really complain. My surprise, however, came in the prices offered for suitable replacements. I won't mention names, but a company in Downham and two in King's Lynn told me categorically that I could not have identical replacements since they were Japanese imports. But the price for near quality replacements would be significantly higher than I expected. I went back to Mazda for advice and they suggested I try Paige and Bird of King's Lynn. They confirmed within 30 minutes that they could provide identical replacements to my current tyres at a price that was nearly 25% less than my previous quotes. However, the real point of raising this issue is as follows.

John at Paige and Bird told me while I was waiting that the real problem he faced was that of disposing of old tyres. Currently, there is one landfill site in East Anglia and one incinerator near Birmingham licensed to dispose of used tyres. Now comes the rub. In Germany, the specification at which tyres are no longer considered roadworthy is somewhat tighter than in UK (ours is 1.5mm, the Germans opt for something around 2.5mm). The result is that German tyre manufacturers export their old tyres to the UK as Part Worn tyres for use in the UK economy market. The rub, however, is that the UK then has the problem of disposing of these tyres when they fail to meet UK tyre standards. So who did win the war?

Finally, the Pump Committee would like to introduce a New Neighbour welcoming scheme. So please, if you have a new neighbour, or know of someone moving in to the district, please let Graham Forster know on 01366 501536. We will then try to provide the newcomers with a welcoming pack (including a copy of the Pump) to help them settle in our friendly community.

Ray Thompson

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