The A46 through Warwickshire is a National Highways dual carriageway from end to end without a hard shoulder, so while the car still steers, take a failing tyre to Longbridge, Thickthorn, Tollbar End or a Stratford roundabout and into a car park. If it does not, pull well left, everyone out on the verge side, then 999, National Highways and us.
From Longbridge Island at M40 junction 15 the A46 heads north as the Warwick bypass, past Stanks Island for Leamington Spa, on to Thickthorn Island at Kenilworth and into Coventry and through Tollbar End, swinging round the east of the city past Binley and University Hospital at Walsgrave to M6 junction 2. South from Longbridge it becomes the Stratford-upon-Avon bypass and runs on to Alcester. All of it is two-lane dual carriageway with a verge and barrier in place of a hard shoulder.
If you can still control the car safely, leave at the next junction or pull into a services. If not, use the hard shoulder or an emergency area rather than a running lane, but never as a place to wait for a fitter: nobody can change a wheel there.
Put your hazards on. If it is safe, get everyone out on the passenger side and behind the barrier; if not, stay in with seatbelts on. Call 999 if you are in a live lane or in danger. Otherwise call the road operator (details below) and get moved to a place of safety. On a smart motorway use an emergency area and the orange SOS phone, and do not rejoin until the signals are set.
Once you are somewhere a van can park beside you, call 07473 720871 with the road, the direction, the nearest junction or marker post and the tyre size. We confirm the price and a realistic time before we set off.
The usual arrival band from our Brent Cross base; we confirm a real time when you call.
| Junction | Serves | Nearest safe stop | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|
| Longbridge Island (M40 J15) | M40, A429 Warwick, A46 north and south | Warwick town centre car parks via the A429, or Warwick Parkway station | A long run from London: allow 2 to 3 hours |
| Stanks Island | A4177 Warwick, Leamington Spa, Hatton | Warwick side streets off the Birmingham Road or the Leamington retail parks | A long run from London: allow 2 to 3 hours |
| Thickthorn Island | A452 Kenilworth, Leamington Spa, Warwick University | Kenilworth town centre car parks | A long run from London: allow 2 to 3 hours |
| Stivichall and Kenilworth Road | A45 west, Coventry city centre via Kenilworth Road, Warwick University | Warwick University's visitor parking or Cannon Park shopping centre | A long run from London: allow 2 to 3 hours |
| Tollbar End | A45 Birmingham and Coventry, Coventry Airport, Whitley | Whitley business park or the retail units on the A45 towards the city | A long run from London: allow 2 to 3 hours |
| Binley | A428 Binley Road, Binley Woods, Rugby | Binley's retail park off the A428 | A long run from London: allow 2 to 3 hours |
| Walsgrave | A4600 Walsgrave, University Hospital Coventry, Coventry city centre | University Hospital visitor car parks or Walsgrave side streets | A long run from London: allow 2 to 3 hours |
| M6 J2 | M6, M69 Leicester, Ansty | Do not stop at the interchange; drop back to Walsgrave or use the Ansty Park estate roads | A long run from London: allow 2 to 3 hours |
| Stratford-upon-Avon (Bishopton and Wildmoor) | A3400 Birmingham Road, Stratford town centre, Stratford Parkway park and ride | Stratford Parkway park and ride or the Maybird retail park | A long run from London: allow 2 to 3 hours |
| Alcester (Arrow roundabout) | A435 Alcester, Redditch, Evesham | Alcester town centre car parks | A long run from London: allow 2 to 3 hours |
There are no motorway-style services on this road. Use the junction table for the nearest safe stop.
Every roundabout on the Warwickshire A46 leads somewhere a fitter can park beside you: Warwick Parkway, Kenilworth town centre, the hospital at Walsgrave, Maybird at Stratford.
The A46 collects rural debris on the Stratford and Alcester lengths, flints from farm traffic, and construction fixings round the Coventry bypass. A slow leak spotted on the Kenilworth bypass can be driven gently to Thickthorn and into Kenilworth; one near Walsgrave can go into the hospital's visitor parking. A clean central hole under 6 mm gets patched from inside at Kenilworth.
How a mobile puncture repair is done →On the Warwick bypass and the Coventry eastern section a burst leaves no margin for error. Ease off, keep the wheel straight and, if it stays steady, indicate early for Longbridge, Thickthorn or Binley; if not, pull over well left and call 999. Stratford's roundabouts are slower and Maybird retail park is right there. We fit the replacement and check the rim.
What to do after a burst tyre →Students at Warwick University and visitors to Stratford can be caught out by locking wheel nuts, often because the key vanished from a car that changed hands. Get to the university's visitor parking, Cannon Park, Kenilworth town centre or the Stratford park and ride. We remove the nut with extractors that leave the alloy untouched.
How locking wheel nuts are removed →By night the A46 is empty, and the gaps between exits on the Kenilworth and Coventry bypasses feel longer with a flat. Still handling? Go slowly to the next roundabout and off the road; if not, stop well left, 999. Walsgrave hospital and the Stratford retail parks have big car parks, where the operator allows it; we come out at night.
How our 24 hour tyre service works →Motorway advice follows the Highway Code (motorway rules 253 to 273 and breakdown rules 274 to 287) and National Highways breakdown guidance; repairs follow BS AU 159, the British Standard for tyre repairs.
A flint from the farm traffic has been in the tread since Longbridge and the warning shows near Thickthorn. Take the A452 into Kenilworth and park in the town centre. A central hole is repaired.
Something dropped from a lorry between Binley and Walsgrave slices the nearside tyre. Leave for the A4600 and park in a University Hospital visitor car park. A cut sidewall means a new tyre.
A soft tyre on the Stratford bypass and the locking key is at home two hundred miles away. Come off at Bishopton and park at Stratford Parkway. We extract the nut and fit standard ones.
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Written and checked by Hiwad Yarkhil, founder of Rescue Tyres LTD, Unit 9 Adrian Avenue, Brent Cross, London NW2 1LX. Updated 2026-10-08.
Off the A46 at Kenilworth, Walsgrave or Stratford Parkway with the car parked? Give us the spot and the size.
