A fire service initiative aimed at enhancing road safety received a significant award recently.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service was the recipient of the Tyre Safety in the Community accolade at this week’s TyreSafe Awards 2024, a recognition of their pioneering road safety scheme.

The service was celebrated for offering tyre checks at charity car washes, a plan launched in partnership with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

More than 700 vehicles and 1,000 tyres have undergone checks since the program's inception, discovering advisory or illegal tyres in 16 pc of the vehicles - around 30 tyres were considered illegal.

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This accolade was accepted by community road safety officer (CRSO), Kathleen Bowman and station commander Paul Clarke.

Ms Bowman said: “The pilot initiative has been hard work to get off the ground, but having attended several car washes I have seen with my own eyes how vital it is for us to hold these sessions and raise awareness of general safety tips for tyres.”

Mr Clarke said: “Since joining us, Kathleen has significantly increased our capacity to develop and deliver exciting new road safety initiatives.

"This award is testament to that partnership, and we look forward to seeing it continue to grow. Well done and congratulations Kathleen.”

The judges praised the fire service for its commitment to the innovative scheme.

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They said: “This has been long in the planning and it is right we recognise Kathleen Bowman, in particular, for her commitment to see this project get underway this year.

"This National Pilot Programme, in conjunction with TyreSafe, using experience derived from a previous scheme in Cambridgeshire and Lancashire is already proving to be a huge success.”

This novel collaboration presents a unique opportunity to enhance road safety and generate additional charity funds simultaneously.