A worker at the giant Nissan car plant on Wearside says he was sacked for singing Elvis Presley songs.

Production line worker David Jewers, 37, was suspended after singing along to tribute songs piped through to employees on the radio on the anniversary of the King's death.

Weeks later, the married father-of-two, from Gateshead, said he was told never to return to his �26,000 a year job at Nissan's Washington plant, after working there 11 years.

An employment tribunal will consider on 22 January whether Mr Jewers was unfairly dismissed.

Elvis Presley died in America in August 1977

Mr Jewers, a part-time singer on the North East's nightclub circuit, had just returned to work after battling with stress and depression, according to his father-in-law Alec McFadden.

In August 2002 - on the anniversary of Presley's death - Mr Jewers was belting out a string of the star's hits as they played over the airwaves when he claims he was sharply reprimanded.

He claims a supervisor approached him and repeatedly insulted him.

Mr Jewers confronted the boss, asking him to stop the abuse.

Mr McFadden said: "Ten minutes later he was suspended on full pay - but nothing happened to the supervisor.

'Loves music'

"They then proceeded to go through a disciplinary procedure and after 21 days David was sacked for threatening behaviour.

Mr McFadden, a senior TUC official, added: "Given that the whole world was singing Elvis songs that day you wonder why it has happened.

"David has been married to my daughter for 13 years. He has never had an argument and he never gets violent. He just loves music and work."

He added that his son-in-law was now struggling to support his wife Michelle and their two children Benjamin, two, and Jacob, eight.

A spokesman for Nissan said it would not comment about the case because of the pending tribunal.