Heat can cause tyres to overinflate – but there’s a simple way to fix it at home

With many parts of the country facing temperatures over 30 °C this week, drivers could be at an increased risk of facing issues with their tyres. In the worst-case scenarios, not properly monitoring your tyre pressure during the current heatwave could result in structural damage to the tyre that may lead to it needing to be replaced.

Guidance from National Tyres and Autocare highlights that hot weather can force the air within a tyre to expand, which could eventually lead to it becoming overinflated if not carefully monitored. It also notes that overinflated tyres are at a higher risk of blowout, provide less traction and control on the road, and can accelerate uneven tyre wear.

Fortunately, an easy way drivers can avoid such issues like overinflation due to high temperatures is by checking their tyre pressure before setting off on a journey. While there are a myriad of devices out there to help with such things, many drivers could save money on one particular device that can help them monitor and adjust their tyre pressure.

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Currently, shoppers over at Amazon can get their hands on the AstroAI Tyre Inflator Air Compressor at a 20% discount, with the price dropping from £19.99 to £15.96. This tyre inflator allows you to see what your tyre’s pressure level is in real-time while allowing you to adjust it automatically to your desired level.

It helps to achieve this with an included large digital screen that can provide accurate reading to help ensure you don’t overinflate the tyre. The included cable can be connected to any compatible 12v outlet common in most cars, letting you use it whenever you need to.

It also comes equipped with a 0.48m long air hose that can easily connect to any tyre with an included LED light that can allow you to fill up your tyres even when it’s dark outside. Shoppers will also be provided with various adapters to help ensure that the inflator can accommodate a variety of tyres.

If you would prefer something a little more portable, you could opt for the TowerTop 3-in-1 Portable Camping Tyre Inflator, which has been reduced from £73.99 to £65.99. This 3-in-1 set is capable of filling up a tyre, acts as a bright light, and can act as a powerbank to help fill up devices.

Otherwise, you could grab the Halford Rapid Digital Tyre Inflator, which can be grabbed for £47.99. This tyre inflator includes a digital display that can show measurements in various units and comes with a storage tray to help keep valve caps organised.

Shoppers who already got their hands on the AstroAI Tyre Inflator Air Compressor awarded it a 4.5-star rating out of over 11,000 reviews. One happy shopper wrote: “Works exactly as explained. Pumped my car tyre up quickly and without issue. Cable is long enough to reach rear tyres easily enough. Easy to use and then tidy away. Small light piece of kit too, easy to store. Would recommend for the price and quality of the item.”

Another added: “Used it a few times now. Simple to use and set up to your desired pressure. It’s a decent size which fits well out of the way in the boot. From using my old compressor there was about 10-15 years old, this one is much quicker and a lot quieter.”

A third said: “Fantastic and very easy to use, no air leaks, value for money, good durability, accurate readings, what is great is it shuts off when it’s at its correct pressure.” A fourth added: “This little bad boy works perfectly! A little noisy but that don’t bother me at all. Inflated all my car tyres. Easy to use. So handy to just keep in the car.”

A fifth added: “What a purchase!!! So pleased I bought this. It is great not to have to go to find a petrol station to check my tyres, to be able to check them at home is perfect. It is simple to use and inflates really well. Definitely would recommend. As one other review stated, it will soon pay for itself.”

A sixth said: “This tyre inflator works brilliantly. It powers up quickly, fills tyres fast, and the digital gauge is accurate and easy to read. The build quality feels solid, the cable length is practical, and it’s compact enough to keep in the car without taking up space. Perfect for emergencies and regular top‑ups, a dependable tool every driver should have.”

However, one less pleased customer wrote: “Strong airflow, very time saving and I found the gauge to be accurate. However after nearly a year of use, it did decide to go faulty. For the money, this however didn’t bother me for all the times I used it.”

Another added: “Good handy pump but didn’t last long. Shame, would have been 5 stars but after a few months became a paperweight.”

The encampment of around 12 caravans finally left Redcar Athletic’s ground on Thursday (August 13) but relocated to a field off Lorton Road shortly after. 

The convoy now remains parked on the council-owned land, which is adjacent to the start of Redcar Racecourse, and has been issued a ‘direction to leave’.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said that, despite the notice being issued yesterday, the group remain on the land. If the travellers fail to move, legal proceedings will begin next week. 

A spokesperson said: “The group who were previously at Redcar Athletic Football Club have moved to land just off Lorton Road, adjacent to the starting point at Redcar Racecourse.

“The land is owned by the council and is deemed to be an unacceptable location. The occupants were issued with a ‘direction to leave’ the land notice yesterday.

“If they fail to vacate the site legal proceedings will commence at the beginning of next week to move the group on.

“Redcar and Cleveland Council follow the same process, in dealing with encampments on land deemed to be an unacceptable location, as all other local authorities.”

Football games were cancelled when the travellers arrived at Redcar Athletic last Sunday, with reports soon following of vehicles “doing donuts” on the land. 

A court order was granted telling the group to leave and they did, but only around a mile away to a new patch of land. 

It was one of two encampments in the town set up this week, the second being on Kirkleatham Showground on Tuesday. This group has since appeared to have left the area.

A drug driver who killed a mother crossing the road after taking cannabis edibles told a 999 operator: ‘I’ve just run somebody over.’

Jake Bolton, 36, was travelling home from his traffic maintenance job when he hit Himabindu Yadla – known as Bindu – as she crossed Tramway Lane in Bamber Bridge, Lancashire.

Bolton had twice the legal limit of cannabis in his blood after consuming edibles the weekend before and also tested positive for cocaine.

He was sleep-deprived and police found 6g of cannabis in a first-aid box in the boot of his Audi S3.

Ms Yadla, 37, was thrown into the air and landed on the road after Bolton hit her at around 6.30pm on October 24, 2024.

She suffered a brain injury and spent 18 days on life support before dying in the Royal Preston hospital on November 11.

Bolton is heard in audio of the 999 call he made after the crash telling an operator that he doesn’t know if Ms Yadla is breathing.

‘I’ve just run somebody over,’ he said. ‘She was just in the middle of the road.’ 

Peter Barr told Preston Crown Court that Bolton had been speaking to a friend on the phone at the time of the crash and finished the 55-second conversation by saying: ‘Oh no, I’ve just hit someone.’ 

Video from Lancashire Police showed Bolton being taken into custody after the collision

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The court also heard Bolton stopped after he crashed into the mother-of-one and called the emergency services.

He also told a bus driver who stopped at the scene that he was responsible for the crash before cooperating with the police investigation.

Another motorist who saw the collision said it was as though Bolton could not see Ms Yadla and she had ‘tunnel vision’.

‘It was almost as if I had seen it happening before it did,’ she said.

Bolton pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving, driving with cannabis above the legal limit, driving without valid insurance and possession of a class B drug.

In a victim impact statement, Ms Yadla’s brother Hemanth said she had come to the UK to build a better life for herself and her eight-year-old daughter, whom she had left with her parents in India.

She took a Master’s degree in international business management and was preparing for her daughter to move to the UK.

The girl will now stay in India with her grandparents, Ms Yadla’s brother added.

‘Her death was so sudden and unexpected. It left us all shocked and deeply traumatised. It has left a massive hole in our lives, not just here but in India, particularly for her daughter. She lost her mother and the future Bindu worked so hard to build for her.’

Kris Cavanagh, defending, said Bolton’s remorse and guilt remained two years after the crash and he recognised no sentence could reflect the damage caused.

Mr Cavanagh said Bolton used cannabis to self-medicate after suffering trauma and was a family man with a strong work ethic who had not consumed any alcohol or drugs since the crash.

Judge Robert Altham, sentencing, said those who knew Ms Yadla described her as a ‘strong, intelligent, competent woman’ who had ‘overcome considerable difficulties’.

He said she had suffered childhood polio and ‘other adversities’ to build a ‘successful life’ in the UK, gaining her Master’s degree and establishing a career.

‘She was remembered and hopefully always will be remembered as a hardworking and resourceful human being

‘She was a devoted mother and daughter, a person who would work tremendously hard to create a better future for herself and her family,’ the judge added.

He told Bolton: ‘You need to understand – and I’m sure you do – the remarkable life you took away.

‘You had insufficient sleep, you were on a hands-free telephone and you were over twice the legal limit of cannabis. You struck her and you killed her.

‘Her brother describes the enduring impact on her family. She was in every sense the lynchpin between the older and younger generations.

‘She was working towards bringing her daughter to live with her but those plans have been abandoned.’

Bolton in a police car after he made a 999 call to tell an emergency worker: ‘I’ve just run somebody over’

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Ms Yadla had studied for a Master’s degree since coming to the UK from India and was close to bringing her eight-year-old daughter to live with her

Mr Altham said he had read a pre-sentence report and references which described Bolton as a family man.

‘It is clear there is a lot of good in you,’ he said.

‘That day you chose to take cannabis and drive. Whilst you may in other respects be a thoroughly decent person, that is not a decent act.

‘That is the act of someone who took an unwarranted and avoidable risk with the life of someone else and you have heard what the consequence of that was.

‘It is your job to ensure you are fit to drive before you do.’

He said Ms Yadla was a vulnerable road user as she was a pedestrian who walked slower than others due to her childhood polio.

Mr Altham said he accepted Bolton’s remorse but jailed him for three years and ten months for causing death by driving without due care whilst unfit through drugs and banned him from driving for six years.

He gave Bolton no separate penalty for drug driving and driving without insurance, granting an absolute discharge for possession of cannabis.

Unpaid carers have been given a fresh chance to shape the future of Carer’s Allowance as the Government looks at overhauling rules that have remained largely unchanged for decades.

The six-week call for evidence is examining whether the current system should be modernised to better reflect the way people work and provide care today.

Among the ideas being considered is an earnings taper, which could soften the sharp cut-off faced by carers who earn above the current limit.

The Government is also looking at ways to make the rules more predictable for people whose earnings fluctuate and to better support carers who combine employment with caring responsibilities.

The review is the first major examination of Carer’s Allowance since the benefit was introduced in 1976.

Carer’s Allowance rules could change

The current earnings rules have come under fire for creating a so-called cliff edge, meaning carers can risk losing their benefit if their earnings go above the limit.

A previous review found that unclear guidance around averaging fluctuating earnings had also left some carers facing debts without realising they had breached the rules.

The Government has already increased the weekly earnings limit to a record £204, meaning eligible carers can now earn around £10,000 a year while continuing to receive support.

Stephen Timms (Image: House of Commons/Jessica Taylor)

But ministers are now considering whether further changes are needed.

One proposal is an earnings taper, which could mean Carer’s Allowance is gradually affected as earnings rise rather than being lost abruptly.

The Government is also considering changes to rules around how many hours carers can work while receiving the benefit.

Sir Stephen Timms, Minister for Social Security and Disability, said unpaid carers were the “backbone of our communities” and deserved a system that reflected the contribution they make.

He said the Government wanted carers’ voices to shape the next stage of reform.

One week left.

Tamara Sandoul, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Carers UK, wants carers’ voices heard before our Call for Evidence on Carer’s Allowance closes.

Have your say now: https://t.co/heaULLmdPk #Carers #CarersAllowance pic.twitter.com/NHYf16BPyu

— Department for Work and Pensions (@DWPgovuk) August 13, 2026

How to have your say

The call for evidence is open to carers, carers’ organisations and anyone with experience of caring.

People in Scotland can also submit their views, although Carer’s Allowance has been replaced there by the Scottish Government’s Carer Support Payment.

The consultation closes on August 18 2026, with responses expected to help shape future changes to Carer’s Allowance. See the details of how to do that here.

Recommended reading:

Thousands of carers could also benefit from debt changes

The review comes after the DWP launched a reassessment of around 200,000 Carer’s Allowance cases earlier this year.

Around 25,000 cases are expected to have debts reduced, cancelled or refunded as part of the exercise.

New rules on capital disregards are also due to ensure refunds do not affect entitlement to benefits including Universal Credit, Pension Credit or Housing Benefit.

Carers UK welcomed the review, saying the existing system was outdated and could be difficult for people with fluctuating earnings to navigate.

Carers Trust also backed the move, pointing out that society, employment and caring have changed dramatically since Carer’s Allowance was introduced 50 years ago.

The family had been due to fly from Preveza to Manchester on August 12 but one part of the plane was missing

A Welsh family has been left stranded in Greece for more than a day after their TUI flight home was cancelled. The family-of-four from north Wales are desperate to get home and see a close family member who is receiving palliative care in the UK.

Craig and Becky Davies, and their two children, had been due to fly from Preveza, in the northwest area of Greece, to Manchester at 12:40pm on Wednesday, August 12, on a TUI flight. However, they were told he aircraft could not fly because a required service-kit part was missing.

“Becky’s dad is on palliative care and we don’t know when we’re going to get back,” said Craig. “We’ve got two children with us and nobody from TUI has been there to tell us what’s actually happening.”

The family say there was not a single TUI representative available at the airport to properly assist passengers. For the biggest stories in Wales first sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Passengers instead received a message from TUI offering €30 per person for food and drink, but the family say they were left without clear information about when or how they would get home.

More than a day after their original flight was scheduled, they were still trying to find a way home.

While a rescue aircraft was discussed, on Thursday evening there was no confirmed aircraft, flight number or departure time.

On August 13, the family said they were eventually put on a five-hour coach journey to Athens, where they were told they would potentially board a rescue flight which still was not confirmed.

For the family from north Wales, the situation is particularly distressing because Becky’s father is receiving palliative care in the UK. As every hour goes by they become more uncertain about when Becky will be able to get back to her family.

Craig said: “We’re not asking for anything special. We just need to get home.”

While the family say they understand that aircrafts can develop technical problems they say they do not understand why the passengers were left without a TUI representative and then put on a five-hour journey to Athens without a confirmed rescue flight.

Craig continued: “We can accept that planes go wrong. What we can’t accept is being left in the dark, having no TUI representative there and then being sent five hours across the country without knowing if there is even going to be a plane at the other end.”

TUI have been asked for a comment.