The Ed Sheeran lookalike fled to safety during the performance after fans surrounded him for selfies

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Wes Byrne created a fire hazard when fans blocked the area for a chance to take a selfie with the Ed Sheeran and was therefore moved to a much more expensive seat

An Ed Sheeran lookalike had to be evacuated during a performance after being bullied by fans for taking selfies.

Security forces took action after fears Wes Byrne posed a fire risk – moving him from his £82.50 seat to a VIP zone where tickets are sold for more than £1,000.

Wes, 30, who has previously met superstar Sheeran, bought tickets to see him at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester last weekend.

But when he went to the bathroom he was surrounded by so many fans wanting pictures that his sister had to save him.

Former Love Islanders Callum Jones and Molly Smith were among those asking for selfies.

The crowd was so great that security had to take Wes, his sister Sammy, 33, and their eight-year-old son AJ to safety.

Wes, whose favorite Sheeran song is You Need Me, I Don’t Need You, said: “When I first walked in I got a lot of looks, but it wasn’t until the first person asked for a selfie that the floodgates opened.

“Almost everyone knew I was a double, although a few kids thought I was the real Ed.

“About 15 minutes before Ed got on stage, the queue for selfies with me was down the stairs and out of an exit, so security told us to go with them to some executive chairs.

“We didn’t complain – it was a much better view.

“It was AJ’s first ever music gig and he found all the attention hilarious.”

Wes had never heard of Sheeran until 10 years ago, when people started telling him he looked like the Bad Habits hitmaker.

Now he’s taking on extra work as a look-alike in addition to his full-time job as a garbage collector.

Wes, from Shaw, Greater Manchester, said: “Not a day goes by that I don’t get stopped or asked for a selfie. My friend Leah absolutely hates it.”

Wes met his famous look-alike on the set of a 2019 Heinz Tomato Ketchup commercial.

Sheeran loves the condiment so much that he tattooed the bottle and even released his own brand of sauce called Edchup.

Wes recalls, “The commercial was based on him, but he was on tour so he didn’t have time to stay for all the photos.

“I was called in for shots that were supposed to be the side and back of his head.”

Even though he looks like Sheeran, Wes doesn’t think he can compete with the singer when it comes to music. I’m a terrible singer,” he said.

“I tried to learn the guitar but I gave up because I was useless.”