Poulton shoppers stopped in their tracks by Elton tribute

And in fairness, the millionaire singing sensation (inset), whose Blackpool prom gig was cut short by winds in 2012, wasn’t there.

But a fairly good likeness, in the form of comedy entertainer and singer Matthew Hunt, very much was.

Matthew – who styles himself ‘Elton Wrong’ – has been raising spirits in the town on a motorised piano on wheels.

The funnyman also performs as a singing nun called ‘Musical Ruth’.

Matthew, 50, of Kings Close, Poulton, is a professional entertainer whose day job came to a halt because of the coronavirus lockdown.

And he says he is more than happy to use his skills to cheer up the long-suffering public who have endured weeks of restrictions.

He said: “Lockdown is one of the hardest thing the British public has encountered. It’s frustrating to bring a halt to our lives and I wanted to raise some smiles.

“I love laughter and fun and it’s been good to spread some of that locally.

“Like thousands of others, all of my immediate work has been cancelled.

“I was midway through a tour of the Butlin’s resorts and I perform all over the UK and Europe and can’t wait to get back on the road. I’ll have to stick a two metre warning sign on the side of my piano!”

Matthew’s performances have certainly brought much-needed smiles to people’s faces over the past six weeks.

The dad-of-three, married to theatrical costume designer Elizabeth, added: “I may ask her for a new Elton costume!”