Does it make sense to travel 25 miles to Flint and only then change the tire?
JG could have been picking up a repaired wheel but there are no tire shops between Tesco Express and Transport Logistics.
Flint has a narrow High Street and it’s not really possible to stop and change a tire there without causing an obstruction, there is the Flint railway station car park opposite Tesco Express or maybe the ALDI parking lot a few yards down.
Flint railway station does have cctv
Flint | Transport for Wales
I suspect ALDI car park has some kind of cctv also.
SBM
There are F&F on the FB search group posted a few comments above that have seemingly confirmed that JG had an MOT booked on Wednesday 25th Aug and had fixed an issue with his front tyre/wheel in readiness for that. This repaired wheel was in his boot awaiting its being fixed back on, which I assume he planned to do prior to his MOT appointment. As a result, whilst the wheel was being fixed, he had resorted to a space saver replacement.
The other thing mentioned on that group is that he “left in a rush”, which might explain why he didn’t elect to replace the space saver with the repaired proper wheel before setting off.
The fact he did stop to change it en route could suggest he may have experienced drivability issues later in his journey, which persuaded him to change the space saver in Flint. This might also explain the u-turn near Tesco Express, as the road at that point starts to turn into a quicker road out of town - perhaps he spotted a few viable spots to change his wheel along his route through Flint towards the Tesco, doubled back at that point (19:46) to opt for one.
The above post by the parents indicates that he had changed the wheel before arriving at the recruitment place in between the fire station and ATS at 20:14, so yes the ALDI car park is one option, being a large space between the Tesco and the recruitment place.
It might even be that he pulled into the recruitment place shortly after leaving the ALDI car park if he still sensed issues and wanted a second look? Perhaps the water he bought was to wash his hands with, perhaps it was to drink - there has been no mention, to my knowledge, of the bottle being found in the car.
All of this said, there is another road (Castle Road), very near the U-turn location, that leads out over the railway line down towards the castle, coast, Flint Town rugby club and a recycling centre, with open spaces and car parks that could also have been used to change a wheel in more ‘peace’ than a supermarket car park.
The other thing that troubles me is the purchase of the additional SIM. Could it be that he was planning on being out of contact from those who knew him, maybe after leaving “in a rush”? Not sure how much I can post of this but it’s all on the FB search group posted above, and - leaving motives aside for a moment - leaving in a rush could at least explain why he hadn’t first changed his wheel before setting off.
EDIT: F&F and Admin of the Fb search group has confirmed that JG’s car was found with a seized front brake, suggesting JG did indeed abandon the car. Another F&F has confirmed Flint railway CCTV has been checked to see if JG tried to use alternative means of travel but has not been spotted on there, nor has his bank card been used since purchasing the water and SIM.
Log In or Sign Up to View (brakes post)
Log In or Sign Up to View (railway CCTV and bank card)
