A tyre of a truck carrying 14,000 litres of oil was slashed 12 times, putting the life of the driver and other motorists in danger, the owner says.
The truck driver had parked the unit outside his property in Kamo and made the discovery on Saturday morning. While he had done a visual check of the tyres before heading off, it wasn't until he was driving that the cuts opened up and the air was released.
Fortunately he was travelling slowly and had only gone a short distance. The driver was scheduled to travel to his Auckland base but had to have the $1000 month-old tyre changed urgently.
The number of victims involved in a tyre-slashing spree in Whangārei over Friday night and early Saturday morning had risen to 65 yesterday. During the same period three cars were also set on fire.
Owner of the rig and Salters Cartage Ltd based in Auckland, Ron Salter said the stabbing of the tyre had the potential to cause a fatality.