I’m running all my MTBs tubeless with no bother, tubeless specific rims/tyres on my road bike as per the perceived wisdom.

Sat somewhere in the middle is my Mk2 Escapde, 40c tyres at about 50-55 PSI. I’ve had a spate of punctures lately that has tested my commuting metal. All shards of glass that could have been fixed fairly quickly with a worm, even if they didnt seal on their own.

Would it be alright at those pressures to just do it MTB style with a bit of gorilla tape and a couple of valves?

With winter approaching I really can’t be arsed with changing tubes at the side of the canal.

You’ll probably want tubeless specific tyres running them at those pressures as it puts a lot of stress on the tyre beads – otherwise they could stretch and blow-off. You’ll probably get away with a lower pressure too – 40mm tyre @ 55psi is rock-hard IME. Higher pressures also make it harder for a tubeless tyre to reseal after a puncture.