BIG Brother local hero Jonny Regan drew thousands of shoppers when he appeared at a supermarket yesterday.

Jonny, 29, of Trimdon Station, County Durham, a runner-up in the popular Channel Four show, spent several hours greeting his fans at Asda, in Peterlee, where he is a firefighter.

He was there to back a fundraising appeal by Councillor Len O'Donnell, chairman of the County Durham and Darlington fire brigade, for the victims of the September 11 terrorist attack in the US last year.

Earlier this year, Coun O'Donnell, 69, cycled 3,640 miles across America in a bid to raise $1m for the appeal. He was at the store yesterday with a display of photographs from his journey.

Jonny said: "It's been fantastic. We haven't got any idea how much has been raised today, but I would think it is quite a few hundred pounds."

Asda store representative Helen Pattison said: "Jonny had a good solid session signing autographs.

"There were between 2,000 and 3,000 people in the store to see him. The response has been phenomenal. People have been very generous.''

Firefighters presented the store with a bronze statue in thanks for its help with the fundraising.