Construction sites across London scatter screws into the traffic, and most that land in the tread can be repaired. The fitter patches them to BS AU 159 wherever the car is parked.
Every London borough has scaffolding, skips and new flats going up, and the nails and screws they shed end up in tyres. A slow leak shows as a soft front tyre on a Hackney permit bay, a pressure warning on the A406, or a car sitting low on a Croydon driveway after a weekend. Repair is often possible, but only when the object sits in the right place and the hole is small enough under the standard.
BS AU 159 confines repairs to the tread's middle three-quarters, for damage no wider than 6 mm. The tyre is taken off the wheel, the inside inspected for rubbing or splitting, and a patch-plug fitted from within before balancing and refitting. A shoulder hole, a sidewall slashed by a London kerb or a tyre driven flat is replaced instead, and both prices are given on the call.
Punctures are repaired on permit bays and pay-by-phone bays where the van can stop, residential side streets and driveways in any borough. Red routes such as the A406 and A205 are never used; turn into a residential street before phoning.
| Main roads | M25; A406 North Circular and A205 South Circular; M1 J1 to J4 and M4 J1 to J3 |
|---|---|
| Typical arrival | Usually under an hour |
About puncture repair nationwide → · Puncture repair on the London page
Most London cars wait on the street, so stay on the permit bay or drive where the leak was found; driving a soft tyre to a forecourt also costs an older car the ULEZ charge. A sealant can tempts, but it coats the liner and often spoils a patch-plug. Look for the screw, and say if it went in near the tread's outer edge, since that usually means replacement. Have the locking-nut key ready, and on a red route turn into a side street before stopping.
Screw in a tyre anywhere in London? Send a photo and the size, and we will advise.
