A MAJOR garage has closed down at the worst possible time – after thousands of drivers across the country were ordered to avoid using their cars as part of a huge recall.
A serious fault recently discovered in Citroen and DS3 vehicles has resulted in a nationwide safety notice.
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Citroen drivers face chaos as recall disrupts daily lives across the countryCredit: Getty
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Duff Morgan service centre closure leaves Norwich owners unable to get repairsCredit: Google
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The Norwich-based Citroen garage has shut amid a nationwide recall, adding to driver woesCredit: Google
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Thousands of Citroen C3 and C4 drivers have been left stranded after urgent airbag recall
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The car brand’s recall has expanded to C4 models, leaving UK drivers unable to use their cars
However, the sudden closure of Duff Morgan Citroen and Peugeot – a widely-used service centre in Norwich – has now left many vehicle owners in the lurch.
According to the Eastern Daily Press, the service centre and its Express Service, located on Whiffler Road, closed its doors several weeks ago.
And while the reason for the outlet’s closure has not been revealed, it does coincide with one of the largest car recalls the country has experienced so far this year.
The recall, first announced back in June, targets certain Citroen and DS3 vehicles due to potentially faulty airbags.
It has left thousands of UK drivers unable to use their cars, as Stellantis, the parent company of Citroen, issued an urgent “stop driving” alert.
The affected models include all Citroen C3 and DS3 vehicles manufactured between 2009 and 2016, as well as some DS3 models produced from 2016 to 2019.
Recently, the recall was also expanded to include C4, DS4 and DS5 models.
Reports suggest the expansion added roughly 9,968 UK cars to the total, meaning nearly 106,000 Citroen or DS vehicles in Britain are covered by the stop‑drive action.
The recall was prompted by concerns over airbags supplied by the now-defunct Japanese manufacturer Takata, whose components have been linked to fatal accidents.
In one incident, a driver in France was killed after a minor collision resulted in metal shrapnel from a faulty airbag hitting them – prompting an immediate reaction from the company.
All UK car dealerships will STOP selling 10,000s of iconic brand’s used models impacted by lethal airbag flaw
Consumer protection organisation, Which?, has since slammed Stellantis for their “chaotic” handling of the recall and called on them to make urgent improvements.
Thousands of customers across the country have been left unable to drive their cars, with many having no alternative modes of transport, according to Which?.
No incidents are yet to be reported in the UK, but the consumer group has expressed its concern for the lack of clarity around available compensation for customers.
They outlined how “major upheaval” had been caused for customers who were reliant on their cars.
This has only been compounded for Norwich residents, as the closure of the Duff Morgan service centre means many have been unable to get repairs necessary for them to use their cars to access work, healthcare appointments or essential activities, such as taking their children to school.
Elderly individuals in rural areas have also experienced isolation due to the lack of transportation.
Many owners across the country have already complained of substantial delays in receiving necessary repairs, with garages struggling to source replacement airbags.
Sun Motors has contacted Duff Morgan for a comment, an explanation on why the site has closed, and which alternative locations frustrated car owners can take their cars for repairs.
Citroen & DS models affected by UK ‘stop drive’ action
A BELOVED car garage with hundreds of thousands of fans has been forced to close its doors.
The garage is shutting down after nearly six years, after its famous owner battled with “rising costs”.
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An iconic garage is sadly closing its doors after six yearsCredit: facebook/BerrowMotors
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Joe Betty runs the popular Shifting Motors YouTube channelCredit: instagram/shifting_metal
Joe Betty first set up his famous garage Berrow Motors in 2020, in the sleepy town of Burnham-on-Sea.
During that time, he slowly built up his customer base and started posting videos about motors online – quickly racking up millions of views.
His YouTube channel Shifting Metal takes viewers behind the scenes of his high-flying lifestyle, as he buys and trades luxury vehicles including Porsches, BMWs and Jaguars.
However, after becoming one of the most famous motor influencers in Britain, Joe has been forced to close the garage which helped launch his career.
The petrolhead and influencer says that rising costs are to blame for the sudden closure of Berrow Motors.
He said: “We’ve had nearly six fantastic years here.
“We’ve won awards, gained over 100,000 YouTube subscribers and raised over £30,000 for local causes — but have decided now is the time to move on.”
“The cost of running a business is constantly rising and has certainly played a part in my decision, but I also wish to focus more time on fundraising and other business ventures.”
He added: “I want to thank all of our wonderful customers for their business over the last few years and of course the team members who made Berrow Motors what it was.
“I really hope another motor trader takes over the site and makes a success of it – you couldn’t ask for better landlords than the Welland family.”
Fans flooded the comments section on Shifting Metal’s social media, as Joe broke the news.
One wrote: “sorry to hear that the business is closing down. I wish you and your family all the very best for the future”
Others said they would miss Joe’s hilarious challenges that he would set himself on YouTube.
In one video, he flipped a coin to set the price of a luxury land rover and, in another, he bought and sold a Mercedes C63 for an eyewatering £35,000.
After letting go of the garage, Joe says that he is going to be focusing on producing even more “car-centric” content online.
The news comes as even major car brands struggle to stay afloat.
Nissan has been forced to accelerate the closure of two of its factories in Mexico, as it slashes its number of global factories from 17 to 10.
The crisis-hit brand has been battling rising debt, which it is hoping to remedy through its Re:Nissan plan.
Imagine you’re on a cruise ship for a four-day excursion to the Bahamas. You’ve got your swimsuit, an adult beverage, and you’re ready to relax. As you make your way to the pool deck, you’re hit with the sound of distorted guitars and in-your-face vocals as legendary L.A. punk band X rips through “Johnny Hit and Run Paulene.”
That was the scene on Little Steven’s Underground Garage Cruise, which set sail from Miami on May 9-13 on board Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Norwegian Gem, and the 1,800 or so passengers were in punk rock heaven.
The lineup featured an array of SoCal-based bands, including Social Distortion, L7, Rocket From the Crypt, the Lords of Altamont and the Dollyrots. They were joined by dozens of other performers across the rock ’n’ roll spectrum, from the hard-stomping Fleshtones to the incorrigible Supersuckers, to Tommy Stinson’s Bash & Pop, to the ageless Linda Gail Lewis — younger sister of music icon Jerry Lee Lewis.
As John Doe of X said, “bands you never thought you’d see on a boat.”
The festival-at-sea concept isn’t new. Sixthman, the company that ran the cruise, has been organizing festivals since 2001 and offers more than 25 curated cruise experiences. Upcoming sailings include Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea Alaska, Chef’s Making Waves Boston, Rock the Bells Cruise and Headbangers Boat.
In many ways, the first Little Steven’s Underground Garage Cruise is an offshoot of Sixthman’s Outlaw Country Cruise, which completed its ninth sailing earlier this year. It was a somewhat somber celebration because both its architect, SiriusXM’s Jeremy Tepper, and its ambassador, Mojo Nixon, died suddenly in 2024.
That cruise drew an eclectic mix of performers such as Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams and Dave Alvin, who share musical DNA with many of the artists on the Underground Garage Cruise and vice versa. For example, Alvin’s former band the Blasters played alongside X during L.A.’s first wave of punk, and Social Distortion’s Mike Ness was often in the front row watching them play.
“Jeremy and Mojo were incredibly close,” Alvin said. “They were like soulmates in a weird way. Cultural, artistic soulmates.”
One surprise guest on the Outlaw Country Cruise was Jello Biafra, who released the album “Prairie Home Invasion” with Mojo Nixon in 1994. He played with Nixon’s backing band the Toadliquors during an emotional tribute to his late friend.
“It’s hard,” Biafra said, “because there is a little bit of a pall over this whole event, because Mojo isn’t here, and everybody’s got their memories bubbling up. I have plenty of that.”
Many of the performers, including some who’d never taken a cruise before, had reservations about what the Underground Garage Cruise would be like.
“I thought there was going to be a lot of crazy drunkenness,” said Donita Sparks of L7. “I was thinking it was a booze cruise, but I haven’t seen a whole lot of that. I haven’t seen a single fight. I’ve seen people laughing and hugging and rocking out to the music. I’ve just seen a lot of joyousness.”
John Reis, vocalist and guitarist of Rocket From the Crypt, was concerned about seasickness and feeling “trapped” but neither proved to be an issue, and he found it easy to “succumb to the vibe.”
“We don’t take certain things all that seriously,” Reis said of Rocket From the Crypt, “and festivals can be very regimented. There’s often a lot of stress involved, mainly with the people putting on the shows. The cruise isn’t like that at all. It’s way more casual.”
Even Ness of Social Distortion was seemingly won over by the cruising lifestyle. “Ease into the day, do what you want. No traffic, no hassles,” Ness said from the stage.
X performs on Little Steven’s Underground Garage Cruise
(Eli Johnson)
Punks of a certain age are all too familiar with the phenomenon of looking forward to a show but, once it’s time to actually leave the house, losing all enthusiasm to drive across town, find parking and wait for opening bands to wrap up their sets. On the Underground Garage Cruise, all shows are a short walk away and run from an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. No openers. No encores.
Although some shows overlap, unlike most festivals, the bands play several times throughout the course of the cruise. So if you missed a band’s performance on the spacious pool deck, you could catch them later at the 850-seat Stardust Theater or one of the more intimate lounges that provide a clublike setting.
That means you can choose where and when you want to see the band — even early in the afternoon.
“We’ve been doing this a long time,” Eddie Spaghetti of the Supersuckers told the crowd at the band’s 1:15 p.m. gig. “But never this early,” quipped bandmate “Metal” Marty Chandler.
Fans cram the deck of the cruise to watch their favorite bands play on a trip sailing from Miami to the Bahamas
(Rich Johnson)
Performers participated in events offstage as well: autograph signings, a wine tasting with the Dictators, a poker tournament with the Slim Jim Phantom Trio and interview sessions that will eventually make their way to the Little Steven’s Underground Garage channel on SiriusXM. An interview with Mike Ness ended with a surprise short set by Social Distortion, accompanied by keyboardist Ben Alleman on the accordion.
There are, of course, drawbacks to the cruise experience. If you’re not having a good time at a festival, you can always leave and go home. Obviously, you can’t do that on a cruise ship. There are also larger concerns with the cruise industry itself, from the impact these behemoth ships have on the environment to the low wages paid to foreign workers, who do the bulk of the cooking and cleaning.
John Doe said he was conflicted about the gig. “As you grow up, you do things for love or money, right? This is for money. But I love the band X.”
Then there’s the elephant in the room: the perception that cruises aren’t for kids; they’re for elderly people.
A lot of these old punks are, well, old. And if you were in the pit with bands like X, Social Distortion and L7 when they were first making waves, then so are you.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“Rock ’n’ roll is like jazz now,” said Eddie Spaghetti. “Essentially, it’s become a niche art form for older people because most kids don’t like rock ’n’ roll anymore.”
As fans age, their bodies may break down but their passion for the music of their youth remains the same. But a lot of music fans, this writer included, deal with disability, health and/or mobility issues that can put a damper on the typical festival experience. Sixthman, however, excelled at making sure every passenger felt welcome.
For instance, all of the venues on the Underground Garage Cruise had an abundance of ADA seating, with staff designated to assist those who requested it. One staff member I spoke with told me she scans the crowds during the shows and looks for people who might benefit from extra assistance.
That kind of personal attention goes a long way toward explaining why fans, performers and staff members alike think of these cruises as a community. There’s a camaraderie on these trips that you won’t find at your typical festival.
The people you meet at the show aren’t just festivalgoers; they’re your neighbors and sometimes your breakfast companions. The intimidating-looking punk rocker covered in tattoos is a lot more approachable when eating pancakes with his partner at the buffet.
This camaraderie isn’t what leads most fans to sail on a music cruise, but it’s one of the reasons they return year after year. During the Outlaw Country Cruise in February, passengers assembled for a group photo for those who’d sailed on all nine Outlaw Country Cruises.
That camaraderie is important to the musicians too. Everyone I talked to raved about the shows they’d seen. Jonny Two Bags of Social Distortion told me that when he received the schedule, he highlighted the bands he wanted to see — just like any fan. He was especially excited to see Bash & Pop, who he’d played with in the early ’90s.
L7 performs at Little Steven’s Underground Garage Cruise
(Rich Johnson)
Donita Sparks of L7 had fond memories of playing with the Supersuckers in the early ’90s. “We used to sleep on the Supersuckers’ floor in Seattle,” Sparks said, “and we would have a dance party every night.”
That excitement for what L7’s Jennifer Finch called “the buffet of bands” is infectious. It’s also why Little Steven’s Underground Garage Cruise will sail again next April, to Cozumel, Mexico.
“We’re all alive,” Sparks said. “We’re here and we’re still rocking.”
Jim Ruland is the L.A. Times bestselling author of “Corporate Rock Sucks: The Rise & Fall of SST Records” and of the novel “Make It Stop.”
