Paul Moss

Most of us drive a car and most of us at some time have to get our tyres changed. Off with the old, on with the new. And then we get the bill, which includes a small charge for our tyres to be disposed of safely and recycled. Waste tyres are supposed to be shredded, then used for things like surfacing horse arenas and children's playgrounds.

Most of us drive a car and most of us at some time have to get our tyres changed. Off with the old, on with the new. And then we get the bill, which includes a small charge for our tyres to be disposed of safely and recycled. Waste tyres are supposed to be shredded, then used for things like surfacing horse arenas and children's playgrounds.

But the BBC has discovered that around half of waste tyres in the UK are squashed into tightly bound rectangles called bales. It's more profitable to do this and then ship them abroad. Together with journalists from an organisation called Source Material, we teamed up with an industry insider who fitted trackers to end-of-life tyres to see where they ended up.

But the BBC has discovered that around half of waste tyres in the UK are squashed into tightly bound rectangles called bales. It's more profitable to do this and then ship them abroad. Together with journalists from an organisation called Source Material, we teamed up with an industry insider who fitted trackers to end-of-life tyres to see where they ended up.

What followed was an extraordinary journey all the way to India, where instead of going for recycling, they were diverted on a 1,000-kilometre journey into central India. where they ended up in pyrolysis plants. Pyrolysis is a process that heats tyres to high temperatures, retrieving oil and steel.

What followed was an extraordinary journey all the way to India, where instead of going for recycling, they were diverted on a 1,000-kilometre journey into central India. where they ended up in pyrolysis plants. Pyrolysis is a process that heats tyres to high temperatures, retrieving oil and steel.

The BBC's File on 4 Investigates programme has been told most plants in India are unlicensed and unmonitored, and it's illegal to import tyres for pyrolysis in India. The process isn't clean. It creates a dangerous cocktail of gases and chemicals.

The BBC's File on 4 Investigates programme has been told most plants in India are unlicensed and unmonitored, and it's illegal to import tyres for pyrolysis in India. The process isn't clean. It creates a dangerous cocktail of gases and chemicals.

That's Peter Taylor from the UK's Tyre Recovery Association. We showed him footage from India of a number of pyrolysis plants just metres away from a village.

That's Peter Taylor from the UK's Tyre Recovery Association. We showed him footage from India of a number of pyrolysis plants just metres away from a village.

BBC File on 4 Investigates approached one of the companies they confirmed. They were processing some imported tyres but said what they were doing wasn't dangerous or illegal. The TRA estimates that 70% of tyres exported to India from the UK and the rest of the world end up in these plants. In January, there was an explosion at a makeshift pyrolysis plant near Mumbai.

BBC File on 4 Investigates approached one of the companies they confirmed. They were processing some imported tyres but said what they were doing wasn't dangerous or illegal. The TRA estimates that 70% of tyres exported to India from the UK and the rest of the world end up in these plants. In January, there was an explosion at a makeshift pyrolysis plant near Mumbai.

Two children who'd been living inside the plant were killed, along with two adults. Local authorities have since closed seven neighbouring pyrolysis plants. Our team returned to the site a month later to discover some facilities still operating. Locals complained of eye problems and coughing as children played in the soot. Nearby is a mountain of tyres, many from Europe and the UK.

Two children who'd been living inside the plant were killed, along with two adults. Local authorities have since closed seven neighbouring pyrolysis plants. Our team returned to the site a month later to discover some facilities still operating. Locals complained of eye problems and coughing as children played in the soot. Nearby is a mountain of tyres, many from Europe and the UK.

Our waste sold into India's black market. Back in the UK, after a tip-off, we visited a tyre disposal company in Rochdale, which sells end-of-life Bale tyres. Its boss, Zaheer, invited us inside. It's good of you. And where do these tyres go? They go to India, don't they? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah? And what happens to them in India?

Our waste sold into India's black market. Back in the UK, after a tip-off, we visited a tyre disposal company in Rochdale, which sells end-of-life Bale tyres. Its boss, Zaheer, invited us inside. It's good of you. And where do these tyres go? They go to India, don't they? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah? And what happens to them in India?

The government says it has rigorous controls in place for exporting waste tyres and punishments including unlimited fines and jail time for those flouting the rules. But environmental groups want stricter regulation of both dealers and of the waste itself.

The government says it has rigorous controls in place for exporting waste tyres and punishments including unlimited fines and jail time for those flouting the rules. But environmental groups want stricter regulation of both dealers and of the waste itself.

Tell us how you did it.

Tell us how you did it.