A hungry mechanic in Bolton has been praised after giving a hilarious response to an impatient customer that left him a damning review online.
After being confronted by a stroppy driver who insisted that he put down his food and fix her car immediately despite him not having stopped all day, cheeky mechanic Chris Hogan decided to take matters into his own hands.
The gearhead, who works at Eddie’s Motor Spares, was accosted by a rude customer during his 15-minute break just had he had sat down to a hot pie for his first break.
Ringley-based worker Chris had already told the customer that he would fix her issue in ten minutes’ time, once he was done with his pie and the rest of his fifteen-minute lunch break, but that wasn’t considered speedy enough.
Instead, she sped off and instead uploaded a negative review of Eddie’s Motor Spares, taking the business’s perfect 5-star score down to a 4.6.
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He told The Bolton News: “I couldn’t believe it. We had been working without a break all morning and just sat down at 1pm for a hot pie.
“I took my first bite and a customer demanded I put it down and fix her brake light ‘because it only takes five minutes’.
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“Now, if it had been a bad pie, I might have done just that, but it was so tasty and I had been looking forward to it, so I asked her to wait 10 minutes.”
Sharing a picture of himself to the social media networking site, Chris wrote: “Just adapting an eating tray so i can eat lunch and fit bulbs at the same time so the next reviewer won’t leave me a bad review for not leaving my half-eaten lunch so she can have a bulb fitted Immediately on demand.”
The negative review shared online by the customer who inspired the eating tray read: “Needed a brake light fitting. 5-minute job.
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“Unhelpful lady behind the counter said everyone was on their dinner – saw two blokes in the back.
“I get everyone needs a lunch break but for the sake of 5 mins?! Phoned back later and still no joy so went Formula One in Farnworth.
“No probs there and no charge. Guess who I’ll be using in the future?!!”
Customers at the garage have been quick to pile on and offer support to Chris after he posted the picture of himself and his pie-eating tray to the business’s Facebook page.
One person wrote: “A nice meat and potato pie on a buttered balm would settle your nerves Chris.”
Another person said: “How DARE you have your dinner! Love the tray idea, keeping entitled people happy whilst having your dinner, that’s how businesses should be run. Bravo!”
A third joked: “Honestly having lunch instead of sorting out your customers,Next thing you be doing is going on holiday.”
A fourth commented: “Got to earn your bread & butter”
Speaking to The Bolton News, Chris added: “It is a family-run business, father and son, and we’re hungry mechanics but haven’t had a customer react like that in a very long time.
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“The last person I remember doing something similar tipped a £1 coin, then came back in and asked to swap it back for a 20p.
“I couldn’t even buy a packet of crisps with that!”
Featured image – Eddie’s Motor Spares
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Premier League Darts is returning to Manchester’s AO Arena in 2027
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Premier League Darts is confirmed to be returning to Manchester next year.
Now’s your chance to see the youngest world champion in darts history, AKA Warrington’s very-own Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, show us how it’s done, as next year’s BetMGM Premier League Darts lineup has just been announced this week – with various dates confirmed across 17 different cities in the UK and Europe.
And Manchester is one of those cities, as the AO Arena has shared that they are set to host an evening next April, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
This means that we will be lucky enough to witness the biggest names in world darts all under one roof, including headliners Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries, as well as Littler.
Manchester is the only northern city to get the pleasure of hosting the event next year, as Liverpool is also on the lineup, as is Leeds, Sheffield, and Newcastle, while elsewhere in the UK, the stars will travel to Glasgow, Birmingham, London, and several other major locations.
BetMGM Premier League Darts is to be held on Thursday 8 April at the AO Arena in Manchester, and to avoid being disappointed, fans are advised to register for presale ticket access.
Following a successful season of events in 2026, tickets are expected to be like gold-dust, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
To access the first wave of tickets, fans must become an active PDCTV Annual Member before 23:59pm on Friday 9 October. Alternatively, general sale is on Thursday 22 October 2026, but make sure not to hang about.
Featured Image – Sandro Halank (via Wikimedia Commons)
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Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has claimed he wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on fans getting to drink alcohol in football stands.
It’s a ban that’s been in place in the top five tiers of men’s football since 1985, when fears over violence and hooliganism were at their height, but now the Prime Minister has raised the question of whether drinking in football stands – or ‘drinking in sight / view of the pitch’, as it’s known formally – is actually unjust, due to the fact that same rules don’t apply to fans of other sports.
“I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way,” Andy Burnham has declared this week, grabbing headlines in the process.
He continued: “I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different, and I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination.
“I’m not going to back away from what’s been a long-held view of mine. I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently.”
The Prime Minister’s comments have been met with mixed response.
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands / Credit: James Kirkup | Julia Nastogadka (via Unsplash)
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), for example, has very much welcomed the idea, saying that it ‘totally agrees’ the legislation is ‘outdated’ and ‘deserves to be reviewed’.
Tom Greatrex, chair of the FSA, said in a statement: “The FSA has always argued that it’s unfair to criminalise football fans for having a pint while watching the match – especially since you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol whilst watching an Oasis gig or rugby league.”
However, on the flip side, the UK Football Policing Unit said it would be ‘incredibly rash’ to change the rules without proper consultation.
“Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour,” it said in a statement on the matter.
The Prime Minister did state in his initial proposition though that ‘there are different ways it could be done’, hinting that it could be done ‘on a trial basis’ perhaps.
The English Football League (EFL) added that it would be ‘receptive to discussions around reviewing current legislation and permitting alcoholic drinks within view of the pitch’.
No formal details on a review have been confirmed as of yet, so fans are encouraged to stay tuned for updates in due course.
Georgina Pellant -
14th August 2023 
