Crowds flocked to Crewe town centre in the early hours of Saturday 28 February as viral street food sensation Ben Newman, better known as Spud Man, rolled into town.

Despite a 10am opening, first eager customers began queueing at Market Square at 5.30am, determined to get their hands on one of the famous jacket potatoes.

By the time trading was in full swing, hundreds of people had gathered to sample the much-talked-about spuds.

Operating from his mobile van with a crew of nine, the Tamworth-based vendor kept four ovens running throughout the day to keep up with demand.

Spud Man (real name Ben Newman), has been running a successful business for over 22 years (Photo: Jonathan White).

Fillings on offer included beans, barbecue pulled pork, chicken curry, chilli con carne, cheese, colesaw and tuna mayo.

Organisers estimated they would serve between 1,500 and 2,000 potatoes over the course of the visit, including 230 free spuds funded by London Northwestern Railway.

Spud Man shot to fame on TikTok, where his upbeat videos of serving hearty jacket potatoes from his pitch in Tamworth have racked up millions of views.

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His friendly catchphrases, energetic service style and community-focused approach have attracted fans from across the UK, many willing to travel miles and queue for hours to try one.

Saturday's huge turnout in Crewe, proved the Spud Man phenomenon shows no sign of cooling off any time soon.

Will a jacket potato trader now take a punt at opening a stall in the centre of Crewe?