The 3am Girls are saying that local police in London have put their foot down when it comes to the lethal combo of horse and riffles. "I want to get a shotgun and a flat cap and go shooting like they all do in the country. It could be my new hobby," he was overheard telling a mate.

A source close to the singer added: "He could hardly lie on the form so it's not surprising he was turned down. But I think he thought stranger things have happened."

The local constabulary, once it had stopped its laughing, refused to comment.