MOTORISTS in South Gloucestershire are being let down by too many faulty tyre gauges on garage forecourts - with potentially dangerous results.

In a recent survey, the district has emerged as the worst in the country for garages with defective or inaccurate tyre inflation equipment.

When undercover motor trade experts visited a random selection of forecourts across the district, they found that two thirds of the gauges tested were providing inaccurate readings to a greater or less degree.

Not far behind was Oxfordsire with 63 percent of pumps surveyed either damaged or inaccurate, followed by London with 58 percent.

The survey by specialist calibration firm Caltec-ATC and car magazine Auto Express revealed that across the country as a whole an average of 40 percent of equipment checked was either faulty or inoperative.

Tests showed that old analogue or linear pressure gauges were most likely to read incorrectly - 18 per cent gave inaccurate figures, compared with only three percent for digital units.

Under or over-inflated tyres can seriously compromise safety, affecting vehicle handling and braking performance and also leading to rapid tyre wear.

A Caltec ATC spokesman said inflation equipment should be checked for accuracy every six months.

"Service providers have a duty of care to ensure pumps are in proper working order," he said.

"The manufacturers even recommend checks are done every three months. However, there is no legal obligation for filling station owners to do this."

The survey, which involved more than 80 tests across the country, also highlighted the difficulty of finding a garage with a pump that was working work at all. Almost 20 percent of sites visited had machinery that was out of order.

South Gloucestershire Council confirmed that there was currently no legal requirement for inflation equipment to be checked by trading standards officers.

Tyre safety experts advise anyone in doubt about their tyre pressures to visit a tyre centre, some of which will carry out a free pressure and tread check.