Chris Rea will be prevented from driving home for Christmas this year due to his local garage failing his beloved Fiat 500’s MOT.

Rea, 71, famous for driving home from concert tours for Christmas to his wife, Joan, and children, Josephine and Christina, told the Suffolk Gazette that this year he would be spending the whole festive season out on the road to hell with his band. “Yeah, wey am gooted laike.” (Rea is from Middlesbrough) “Ah alwees draives hyem for Chrismass laike, but this year I can’t.

Them basstuds in the garage, wouldn’t pass me Fiat laike. Even wen ah ses tiv ‘em… ‘D’yee knaa who ay am?’ They ses ‘actuaaly, we de knaa who yee are. Yoor that Chris Rea off ther radio who sings that sang – Driving hyem fur Christmas aren’t yee leik?’”

We tried to keep up with what Rea was saying…

“’Aye’, I ses. ‘Ow d’yee knaa who I am, then?’ ‘n’ this cheeky basstud says ‘Becos yee left yoor cack CD in yer car radio and that’s an instant fail.’”