flat tire / on initial examination after wheel removal / inner tire appears to be almost cut all round at contact with wheel .but cannot see what if anything it might have been in contact with!

similar issue a year ago with other tire both on front wheels ......first time just immediately replaced tire .......now have concerns!.......

...any thought appreciated.

 

That is a bizarre problem which I have never heard of before, so am just going to throw some ideas out there for consideration.
If there is no obvious contact point from the anything attached to the strut or steering, then you are left with some abrasion from the wheel rim itself, or possible damage during original fitment.
Factory rims or aftermarket?
Were the tyres over sized for the rims? That would cause sidewalls to be overly rounded and invite contact with rim. Although X-Types don't readily accept much wider tyres due to other clearance issues.
Could they have been under-inflated causing excessive flexing or even chaffing of the side wall if they were ballooning out more than expected.

Were the wheels balanced and a balancing weight knocked onto the inside rim that might have been loose and wandering around the rim?
Typically you would use adhesive weights on alloy rims, but sometimes tyre shops will use the knock on ones.
If they were the wrong type/shape, they might not lock and then possibly travel over time.

 

How old are the tires?

-Dave

 

Lots of negative camber and tire pressure too low?

 

Harry, the X-Type tires are very sensitive to proper wheel alignment. If I am understanding your tire wear correctly, if it was a front wheel that had this wear, then your toe (how straight forward your tires point) is off or you have a worn tie rod end and the wheel is wobbling some (should be felt in the steering wheel, normally either of these is a shake in the steering wheel at about 50-70 mph). If this was a rear wheel, your upper suspension arm is worn and it is allowing the tire to lean in at the top, wearing the inside edge of the tire. You will more than likely need to get a "Thermo'd" style upper adjustable arm (find an adjustable arm for a Volvo S40, those are common and fairly cheap). That will allow you to adjust for your weakened rear springs and rear end sag during your alignment. If you have a different issue, then please send a pic. If you have like a groove cut in the tire, then you have something rubbing against the wheel and it will just destroy the next tire you put on there.