While it may not be unusual to spot the odd celebrity on the streets of Chiswick - it is not everyday you bump into the Mayor of London.

And when Boris Johnson paid a brief, yet busy, visit to the area on Tuesday afternoon, he found himself bombarded by fans and even a life-size pint of London Pride offering him a warm welcome from Chiswick-based brewers Fuller's.

He was also given an impromptu hug from passerby Faraz Khan, who jokingly told him: “I don’t know about your policies but I like your hair.”

Turning to more pressing issues, the Transport for London chairman was asked to defend his work on travel, and was asked by 56-year-old Maggie Fear about facilities for the disabled on the underground.

The Chiswick resident, who has been disabled for 20 years, said: “Why are there no lifts on the underground stations Chiswick Park and Turnham Green?

“I would like to be treated like everybody else.”

Mr Johnson could only answer that they were “incredibly expensive” and he would look into it.

He also said he would investigate the possibility of the Piccadilly line stopping more frequently at Turnham Green station, as proposed by members of the Picadilly Line Campaign.

He said: “It’s a very good point. I will look into the feasibility and cost of stopping it at Turnham Green.”

Campaigner Richard Jennings said: “We firmly believe there’s room for improvement.”

While on his tour Mr Johnson was told of the success of St Mary’s RC Primary School’s garden, in Duke Road, by 11-year-old pupil Isabelle Brophy.

Praising the young green champion, he said: “We would like every school to have a garden where they grow their own food.

“The most environmentally-friendly thing a school can do is make sure it has proper insulation. If you all wore more sweaters and run around more you don’t need so much heat and then they can turn the heating down.”

It was certainly not the first visit to Chiswick for Mr Johnson - he revealed he had paid many visits to the area in his youth.

He said: “I once swam from the banks to the Chiswick Eyot. I would like to do it again if I wasn’t so fat.”

And demonstrating his love for food Mr Johnson rounded off his trip by buying a wedge of cheese from Dan Mortimer, who runs delicatessen Mortimer and Bonnet, in Turnham Green Terrace.

The Mayor joined Mary Macleod, the Conservative paliamentary candidate for the Brentford and Chiswick seat, in a tour of some of the shops in Chiswick High Road and Turnham Green Terrace to launch her Support Our Local Shops Campaign. Ms Macleod said: “Boris visited Chiswick to meet residents and shopkeepers.

"While walking up Turnham Green Terrace, he launched my Support our Local Shops campaign. This is an important initiative to help highlight the benefits of small shops and the difficulties they have in competing with the large chains.

"I want to encourage people to try and support their local shops, especially during these hard times, as strong communities are important to everyone’s well-being and part of what makes this area special."