It is with profound sadness and deep regret that I announce the passing of my son and front man of The Straits UK. Andrew was tragically taken from us, along with his girlfriend Georgia, on Sunday afternoon following a motorcycle accident on the Scottish Borders.

We obviously weren’t aware at the time, but those of you that seen us in Ormskirk on Saturday night witnessed our very last performance.

Andrew was an absolute gentleman with not a malicious bone in his body and I’m sure that came across to those of you that spoke to us after our performances.

I would like to pay tribute to him, not only as his father but as a fellow band member. He practiced long and hard striving for perfection in what was a very difficult task (…copying Mark Knopfler), and I think he achieved that! Andrew was the most humble human being you are ever likely to meet, and never ever thought he was anything special….HE WAS!

He fulfilled a 35 year dream of mine to play in a Dire straits Tribute Band, and I will forever be grateful to him and the rest of the band members for making the dream live.

The Straits UK were not just a band though, we are/were a family…a family that is now struggling to come to terms with this tragic event. We had a very emotional gathering yesterday.

We thank you all sincerely for the love, support and the extremely kind Facebook messages you have given us over the last 6 years. Andrew used to love reading them and personally replied as often as he could.

Andrew and Georgia will be missed by all those that knew them.

Just for the record, Police Scotland have confirmed after their roadside investigations that Andrew was not at fault, he was on the correct side of the road travelling at the correct speed when they were hit by a motorcyclist travelling in the opposite direction!

Our admin team will go to work as soon as practical to find out how we go about refunding ticket those that have already bought tickets for future performances. This is new to us and not something we were expecting so I ask you please to give us time to process all of this.

Thank you,

The Straits UK