Thousands of expired tyres seized in Oman

Muscat: The Directorate of Consumer Protection in Rustaq recently seized thousands of expired vehicle tyres in the wilayat of Rustaq.
This came after inspectors from the authority visited several shops that sold tyres to make sure they were abiding by the rules. It was found that some tyres, which were being sold, were already past their expiry date, the Public Authority for Consumer Protection (PACP) said in a statement.
In a statement, it further said, “PACP was able to confiscate thousands of expired tyres. The dates of their manufacture were tampered with. New production dates were printed and then distributed to suppliers across various governorates.”
It added, “In light of this, PACP formed inspection teams in all wilayats at tyre shops to verify the accuracy of the data registered on tyres. This followed the seizure of thousands of counterfeit tyres so far.”
Hilal Al Ismaily, Director of Market Control and Regulation Department in Rustaq, said the Authority is keen to provide protection and safety to the consumer through the efforts exerted by the cadres of the authority.
Al Ismaily said, “The selling of expired consumer goods is contrary to Article 7 of the Consumer Protection Law issued by Royal Decree No. 66/2014, which says, “It shall be prohibited to trade in any adulterated, corrupt, counterfeit commodities or any commodities that are not authorised for trading and the same may not be advertised and the regulations shall determine what commodities shall be deemed as adulterated, corrupt or counterfeit.”
It also contravenes Decree No. 257/2015 pertaining to the prohibition of the circulation of used tires in Article 1, which states that “the selling of used [old] tyres of all types and sizes is not be permitted”, he explained.
He added, “In this context, this campaign was carried out by PACP in different wilayats to ascertain the compatibility of tyres for the specified periods of validity as per decision No. 246/2014, which resulted in the confiscation of large quantities of counterfeit tyres, pointing out that the Commission is continuing to complete the inspection campaigns in all tyre markets in the Sultanate.”
He also stressed on the importance of spreading awareness to the consumer with regard to what is harmful to him/her, as well as demanding all the safety guarantees and reducing the risks of using these tyres, which could lead to fatal traffic accidents.