PETER Andre fans were kept back from making a supermarket dash for their pop idol at a Sussex store – by a line of strategically placed trolleys.

Hundreds queued to meet the Mysterious Girl singer when he called in at the Three Bridges branch of Tesco Extra in Hazelwick Avenue, Crawley, to support a cancer awareness campaign.

The former husband of TV star Katie Price added to the atmosphere of eager anticipation by arriving 15 minutes late after tweeting how “excited” he was and that he “can’t wait to meet you all in Crawley”.

The meet-and-greet event was staged to support the Peter Andre Foundation, which the star launched last year with Cancer Research UK in memory of his brother Andrew, who died of cancer in 2012.

Sussex favourite Peter, who recently became a father for the third time, was a hit with fans – Sarah Brown tweeted afterwards that it “was lovely to finally meet you today @tesco’s in Crawley with my four boys!” Store manager Leigh Jerrard said: “We had a fantastic day. Customers had a great time meeting Peter.” The 41-year-old, who owns the New York Coffee Club cafes in Brighton and East Grinstead, also brought samples of his coffees, which sell through Tesco, with a donation made to Cancer Research UK with each sale.