EastEnders' Nigel Bates crashes his beloved motor on the streets of Walford next week, before handing himself in to the police! Will Nigel - who is living with young onset dementia - serve time behind bars for the chaos he's caused?

Following an upsetting argument with Julie, Nigel walks away from his wife and heads out for a sneaky car ride.

Even though Julie has previously warned him that he's not permitted to drive, Nigel puts his foot on the pedal and sets off down the road. And before long, Nigel suffers a meltdown that leads to disaster...

"Nigel sees that Julie is calling him and becomes overwhelmed," says our EastEnders insider. "He struggles to concentrate and, before he knows it, Nigel has no power over the car whatsoever.

Related: Best streaming services

"EastEnders bosses are keeping tight-lipped about how catastrophic the crash turns out to be but, given how cut up Nigel is over it afterwards, it's a serious state of affairs. After everything that Nigel has already been through recently, it's tragic to see him in this situation..."

As the week begins, Nigel prepares to sell his car but accidentally ends up damaging it before the handover. As a result, Lauren Branning reduces the price that the vehicle is going for and finalises the deal on the basis that he needs cash for his holiday to India with Julie.

Nigel confides in Yolande Trueman that he wishes he could enjoy one last drive in his beloved motor before it's gone forever. Then, he lays eyes on his missing car keys, which leads to his ill-fated idea to take the car out for a final spin.

Related: EastEnders makes huge change to Joel story in unexpected twist

After disaster strikes, Nigel becomes confused with the events leading up to the accident, so he turns to Julie for answers. Intent on protecting her husband, Julie claims that she was behind the wheel at the time, but Nigel isn't convinced...

"Nigel can't allow himself to believe Julie," explains our source. "Knowing that something isn't right, Nigel sets out on a mission, but Julie quickly leaps into action and takes Nigel back to the safety of their home.

Related: EastEnders' Joel star shares message with fans after show's darkest cliffhanger in months

"There, Julie does all she can to persuade Nigel that she was driving and therefore responsible for the crash, but she fails to convince him. Julie is desperate to keep Nigel out of trouble, but it becomes impossible for her to get a handle on the situation."

Feeling guilty, Nigel makes the fateful decision to turn himself in to Jack, who later accompanies him to the police station for further investigation.

With Nigel certain that he is to blame, will the police find evidence to prove that he's telling the truth? Or will Julie fight to keep her partner out of prison?

EastEnders airs on Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One. The show also streams on BBC iPlayer, where most episodes drop early at 6am ahead of their TV broadcast.

EastEnders reveals horror car crash for Nigel Bates with tragic consequences