STAFF at a curry house were tricked by a joker claiming to be the singer Paul Weller.
They opened up Bilash Restaurant early for him and rushed out his order.
The chef posed with the fake Paul for a pic, which staff put on social media.
Fans of The Modfather, 66, playing a gig at the nearby Wolverhampton Civic Hall, then piled into the restaurant.
One spotted the fake — who paid for his prawn curry — as he left.
Simon Cartlidge, 58, said: “Paul Weller is my hero.
“The guy looked more like ex-footballer Robbie Savage.
“When we put staff straight, I think they wanted the floor to swallow them up.”
The Bilash’s manager told The Sun: “He said he was Paul Weller. We were so impressed we even put his playlist on and everyone ate their curry listening to Wild Wood and his best tracks.
“As soon as we put a message on Facebook, suddenly crowds descended. Word got out so fast. It was packed early evening.
“People went up to the guy and he was signing autographs and confirming his legendary status.
“We sat him in the front window table so everyone could see him. Our chef Rex posed for a photo with his thumbs up.
A lot of people were tricked that night.”
MOTORISTS were told yesterday they pay a higher rate of tax than multi-billion-pound firms — as the first Labour MP backed our Keep It Down campaign.
FairFuelUK’s Howard Cox said there was no excuse for targeting drivers in the Budget when duty accounts for 60 per cent of pump prices.
Businesses only pay 25 per cent tax on profits.
Mr Cox’s comments came as Graham Stringer became the first Labour MP to back our crusade to freeze fuel duty.
Mr Stringer, the MP for Blackley and Middleton South said: “It would be a mistake to put fuel duty up.
“It would impact the economy.
“If we want to improve productivity which we do, hiking fuel is not the way to do it as it would hit businesses and the cost of doing business.”
In a special Never Mind The Ballots episode on fuel duty, Mr Cox also said increasing fuel duty next week would breach Labour’s manifesto promise not to raise taxes on working people.
He blasted: “Something like 70 per cent of people drive, 37 million drivers need their car.
“They have got no choice, especially in rural areas and suburban areas.
“We have got a situation where corporation taxes are 25 per cent, income tax, the highest at 40 per cent, and fuel duty is 60 per cent so why put it up even more.”
If Rachel Reeves axes the 5p cut and reinstates an inflationary increase next week, it could add £3.85 to the cost of filling up an average family car.
