A MECHANIC earned himself a spot on prime TV by telling BBC London News reporters about his snow socks.
Nick Underwood, of The Car Works in Berkhamsted High Street, also gave them a demonstration of how to fit them to the wheel of your vehicle.
He said: “They just walked in, as they were in Berkhamsted doing a bit on how the town was coping with the snow and ice.
“They just started asking us all these questions about snow socks, then said: ‘We are from the BBC and we are going live at 1.30pm. How do you fancy being on TV for us?’
“We were a bit surprised.”
Nick says he has been recognised many times since being on the BBC London News broadcasts on Friday – but that it hasn’t had much effect on sales of the snow socks.
He said his garage has sold four or five snow socks since the bad weather began compared to closer to 15 sets of winter tyres.
Snow socks typically cost from £65 to £85 and Nick says they are easier to fit to wheels than snow chains – the closest thing to an alternative.
The socks stop tyre treads getting blocked up with snow and ice, making it easier to drive without getting stuck.
The Car Works has stocked them for about two years.
Nick said: “Snow socks can get you out of trouble and get you moving, but you cannot drive far with them on.
“The ideal thing to do is to put winter tyres on, which tend not to get blocked up.”
But as a short-term solution, snow socks can be cheaper.