Michael Molloy coach death prompts MP's call for aging tyre ban

Maria Eagle raised the issue in Parliament following a campaign by the mother of teenage crash victim Michael Molloy

An MP has backed a grieving mother's campaign to ban aging tyres on public vehicles after a teenage musician died in a coach crash.

Maria Eagle has called for a new law banning tyres more than 10 years old on buses, coaches and minibuses.

The move comes after 18-year-old Michael Molloy was killed in a coach crash as he travelled home to Liverpool from a music festival in 2012.

An inquest found the crash was caused by a worn-out tyre.

The accident on the A3 in Surrey also killed 23-year-old Kerry Ogden from Maghull, Merseyside, and coach driver Colin Daulby, 53, from Warrington, Cheshire.

Mr Molloy's mother, Frances, later launched the Tyred campaign, which Mrs Eagle has supported by tabling an early day motion.

Mr Molloy, pictured with his mother, Frances

Speaking in Parliament, the Garston and Halewood MP said: "Michael Molloy was a creative young musician just making his way in this exciting world and his life was needlessly cut short.

"The bill I am proposing would make it unlawful for a public vehicle to be in service with tyres that exceed the age of ten years.

"I believe that had such a measure been in place before the crash, the deaths that were caused on that day could have been avoided.

"Making the use of old tyres unlawful is the only clear signal that can be sent that will prevent this terrible incident happening again.

'Would cost nothing'

She added: "These old tyres kill. Let's get them off our coaches, buses and roads altogether and save lives.

"The process would cost the government nothing, as tyres are date marked and could be checked during MOT tests, so let's just get on with it."

The campaign has also been supported by Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region.

The bill was successfully proposed and will have a second reading in December.

Mr Molloy, an aspiring musician from Woolton, had recorded a single, Rise and Fall, which later entered the charts.