Chas and Dave singer Chas Hodges diagnosed with cancer

Chas Hodges, one half of music duo Chas and Dave, has been diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus.

Announcing the news in a Facebook post today, the statement said the 73-year-old will begin treatment immediately after the illness was fortunately spotted at an early stage.

The group have cancelled a number of dates as Hodges has treatment. “Chas expects to be back out on the road with Dave again soon, but in the meantime, the Potters Bar, Norwich, and Milton Keynes dates on the 17, 18, and 19 of February will need to be rescheduled,” reads the post.

“Apologies to ticket-holders for the inconvenience. The venues themselves will advise regarding re-scheduling/refunds etc.”

The London duo’s unique mix of rock and cockney – otherwise known as “rockney” – led to the pair rising to fame in the 1970s and 80s with hits including Rabbit and Snooker Loopy.

Before Hodges teamed up with Dave Peacock, he performed as a member of the Outlaws and backed bands such as Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent and Bill Haley in the late 50s and early 60s. He also played with Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers, and appeared as special guest to the Beatles on their last British tour in 1966.

After splitting temporarily in 2009 following the death of Peacock’s wife, Chas formed his own act called Chas and His Band before reforming with his bandmate a year later.

Chas and Dave singer Chas Hodges diagnosed with cancer

PMQs sketch: Dave and Ed play the numbers game

What the voter was supposed to make of it, I really do not know. The NHS is this kind of a vast and complex institution that to say it has declined or enhanced, based mostly on a handful of carefully selected statistics, is absurd. The only affordable conclusion, at least from viewing this exchange, would be that the NHS was better and worse underneath Labour, and is worse and greater under the Coalition.

“Mr Speaker! Official figures from the Met Office demonstrate that on Saturday it rained. Nevertheless on the identical Saturday in June 2006, below the last Government, it was sunny. Can the Prime Minister describe why Saturdays in June have become wetter on his view?”

“Mr Speaker, the proper honourable gentleman talks about the climate final Saturday simply because he does not want to talk about the climate final Thursday. The fact is that last Thursday was two degrees Celsius hotter than the identical Thursday in 2009 – when he was Vitality Secretary!”

“Mr Speaker, once again he can’t even answer a easy query. Allow me try out him on rainbows. Research by the University of Madeupname exhibits that, since he took office, the quantity of challenging-operating British families discovering pots of gold at the ends of rainbows has been an astonishing zero per cent. Can he tell the Home why he and his Cabinet of millionaires are so out of touch with the aspirations of ordinary men and women?”

“Mr Speaker, his paymasters at the Unite union may possibly have advised him to inquire about rainbows, but the British people know that our extended-phrase meteorological strategy is working. Barbecues, up! Wet weekends, down! Sun tans, 5.6 per cent longer-lasting! 7 thousand much more deckchairs, 12,000 more seaside balls, and more twin-cone mint chocolate ice creams with a flake than at any time below 13 many years of his government! That’s why the Labour celebration can in no way be trusted with the British climate again!”

Spirited although Mr Cameron’s defence could be of his NHS record, some of his boasting was dubious. Under this Government, he crowed, “There are 7,000 more physicians!” Yet to train as a GP will take 10 many years. Unless Mr Cameron and his present Cabinet invested the period 2000-04 going round secondary colleges and urging pupils to examine medicine, it appears rather a stretch for him to claim credit score for it.

PMQs sketch: Dave and Ed play the numbers game