Rod Stewart's Unexpected Side Gig Earns Mild Rebuke From Authority
British rocker Rod Stewart took it upon himself to fill in potholes on a road near his home and earned a mild rebuke from the authority responsible for maintaining the routes in the process.
In videos the 77-year-old musician shared on social media, he said he was fed up with the dire state of the road in Harlow, Essex, and that he “and the boys thought we would come and do it ourselves.”
“People are bashing their cars up. The other day, there was an ambulance with a burst tire,” he explained in the clip, which showed him shoveling gravel. “My Ferrari can’t go through here at all.”
Watch the video here:
@sirrodstewart Filling holes is good for the soul! 🕳 😇
♬ Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? - Rod Stewart
Locals appeared to be happy with the singer’s unexpected side gig:
Several local motorists praise the Essex singer Sir Rod Stewart for trying to repair potholes on road close to his home near Harlow. The 77-year-old said they were damaging vehicles, including his own Ferrari https://t.co/UtT4aKemA6pic.twitter.com/D1DRLPoRI9
— BBC Essex (@BBCEssex) March 14, 2022
But Essex Highways took a dimmer view.
“While we would like to prioritize repairs to every road, the scale of our network — over 5,000 miles — means this is impossible and we have to focus on repairing defects likely to be most detrimental to the safety of our road users, ” a spokesperson told HuffPost.
“While we appreciate Sir Rod’s commitment and community spirit, we discourage anyone from carrying out work on the roads themselves,” the spokesperson added. “Without proper traffic management and other specific safety measures, residents are putting themselves and others at risk.”
Nevertheless, Stewart’s moonlighting went viral with fans reworking his lyrics:
All together now:
‘We are paving, we are paving, home again, ‘cross the street!’ 🎶 ⛵️ 👏🏼 😂 pic.twitter.com/RuewgpLI4W— Titch 🐭 (@Titch_a_mouse) March 12, 2022
With apologies sir
Altogether now
I am digging
I am filling
Holes again
'Cross the road
I am mending
Broken tarmac
To be near you
To be free— Nigel Witham (@NigelWitham) March 14, 2022
If Rod can’t fix it Maggie may
— James Hoggarth (@jameshoggarth) March 13, 2022
Remember Rod, 'the first pot is the deepest' 😀
— thestrawheads (@thestrawheads) March 13, 2022
Rod have always said you had a Gravely voice
— Disney Man UK °○° (@DisneyManUK) March 14, 2022
Rock and ‘pot hole’ Rod 🤩
— hatty mctattie (@xhina02814559) March 14, 2022
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.