PM Boris has had his chips . .

PRIME Minister Boris Johnson surprised Bank Holiday crowds in Whitley Bay when he stopped off to enjoy some chips on the seafront.

Mr Johnson popped into the Whitley Whaler chippy on Claremont Crescent yesterday, where he ordered a “small chips” before strolling along the promenade. The Tory leader – on a pre-election visit to the North East – was spotted chatting to walkers outside Spanish City at around 4pm.

Georgia Walker, who has owned the Whitley Whaler chip shop for 11 years, said the Prime Minister’s visit was a total surprise.

“It was great,” she said. “It was a surprise, we had no idea he was coming.

“He asked staff how business was and he was very friendly. The employee explained how we were battling with high fish prices at the moment but doing our best to keep costs down for the customers.

“He was very pleasant and shook their hands. He was in Whitley Bay for around 20 minutes and walked along the new promenade in front of Spanish City and had some chips.

“He spoke to some people outside of the chip shop and it was nice to see how excited the children were by his visit. He got a welcoming reception in Whitley Bay. His visit was not just good for our business but for the area too.”

The Whitley Whaler said although Mr Johnson was the first politician to have popped into their shop, the business has welcomed celebrities through the doors over the years.

Georgia added: “Boris was our first political visitor but we have had Robson Green and Vera film in the shop before!”

The Prime Minister’s visit to Whitley Bay followed a trip to Hartlepool earlier on Monday. With voters due to go to the polls on Thursday, the PM took a tour of the town’s power station along with Hartlepool MP Jill Mortimer.