A prankster closed a busy airport – by stealing a life-sized cutout of Sir Cliff Richard.

Passengers flying home from Faro in Portugal to London Gatwick were stunned when their pilot left the cockpit to address them.

He told them all aircraft on the runway had been ordered by police not to take off until the cardboard figure of the music legend was handed over.

The cheeky culprit was told they would not face charges if it was returned immediately.

One passenger said: “Everyone on the plane was falling about laughing, thinking it was a joke.

“Sometimes you get these captains who like to talk to the passengers to cheer them up.

“Then all of a sudden we saw this overweight man trundling down the aisle carrying Cliff. Who on earth would want a life-size self-standing picture of him?”

The tourist, from south London, added: “I don’t know how it got on the plane. The man seemed in a good mood but not drunk.

“He joked to us, ‘They are quick on the case here!’ I don’t think he was worried as they said he wouldn’t be arrested.”

Pop icon Sir Cliff owns vineyards on the Algarve. His grinning cardboard lookalike greets passengers at Faro Airport to help sell his wine.

• London

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