POP star Peter Andre missed the switch-on of Blackburn's Christmas lights after being driven 'Insania' by traffic hold-ups.

But the Aussie star still wowed thousands of fans when he rolled up 90 minutes late - with the help of a high-speed police escort.

The heart-throb, who has had hits with Insania and the re-release of Mysterious Girl following his appearance in I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, apologised on stage in King William Street after being booked to turn on the town's new-look lights.

But heavy traffic and unexpected snowfall turned his trip from Brighton into a seven-hour ordeal.

By that time, the borough's mayor, Coun David Foster, had already performed the honours with local boyband D-Rail, who were the warm-up act.

Despite the freezing temperatures and snow, 2,000 of the 5,000-crowd waited for Peter, who arrived at around 7pm. He leapt out of a police car and dashed straight on stage, while the crowd chanted 'Why are you so late?' in tune with his first big hit, Mysterious Girl.

After his 20-minute appearance, he spent another 30 minutes signing autographs and posing for photos. When one woman begged for his hand in marriage, he replied: "I'm happily engaged to Katie," better known as glamour girl Jordan, who he met on the set of I'm A Celebrity.

While the crowd went wild, Peter insisted the real applause should have been reserved for...the police!

He said: "They picked me up 20 miles from Blackburn and got us here so fast. I kept thinking people would think I'd committed some sort of crime!

"We'd had a nightmare journey, but I really wanted to get here. The reaction I got was great, fantastic.

The fans who did wait said his arrival was worth the stand in the cold.

Gemma Livesey, 14, from Pleckgate Road, Blackburn, said: "He was gorgeous and kissed me."

The noise Peter caused when he appeared on stage brought a halt to a meeting of Blackburn with Darwen's full council inside the neighbouring town hall.

Councillors were asked if they wanted to halt the meeting, but declined, although only after Lib Dem group leader Paul Browne asked for clarification on whether Jordan had turned up too!