Brit drivers face £10,000 fines for little-known tyre mistake amid -6C cold snap warning this week – know the law

DRIVERS have been warned that they face fines of up to £10,000 for a little-known tyre mistake amid this week’s predicted -6C cold snap.

Snow has fallen in the South of England and the Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning as temperatures plummet.

The deep freeze could see motorists caught out by a relatively obscure road law, according to experts.

Dom Watt from urged road users to keep an eye on their tyres and make sure they are fit for purpose.

There is no rule requiring winter tyres in the UK, but there are restrictions on their condition.

If your tyres are deemed to be unsuitable for the conditions and, therefore, unsafe you could be slapped with whopping penalties.

A fine of £2,500 per unsuitable tyre could leave you facing charges of up to £10,000.

And this can be accompanied by three points added to your licence.

Instead, Dom recommended switching to specialist winter or all-season tyres, which start from about £70 each at Halfords.

These provide extra grip and water clearance in snowy conditions and can help you stay safer on wintry roads.

It comes as travel chaos is expected this week due to the icy weather.

Photos from this morning show delays already building up on major routes, including the M25.

And three westbound lanes on the M62 near Rochdale were shut due to a crash.

A yellow weather warning for ice covers much of the South Coast from 3pm today until 3am tomorrow.

It comes after experts warned that drivers could see £80 fines for using a common windscreen de-icing hack this winter.