MUSIC icon Rod Stewart enjoyed a Sunday lunch at a popular south Essex pub.

Bosses at the Barge Inn in Battlesbridge were taken aback when the rockstar arrived yesterday, who previously performed at the Cliffs Pavilion in Southend.

The music legend posed with his thumbs up inside the pub.

Stewart is best known for songs like Maggie May and I Was Only Joking.

A spokesman from the pub, said: "Cheers for the legend Rod Stewart popping in today. 

"A true gentleman and legend."

The veteran hitmaker, famous for songs such as The First Cut Is The Deepest and Maggie May, lives in Essex with his wife Penny Lancaster.

Read more >> Watch: Sir Rod meets fans at charity boxing event after arriving in Rolls-Royce

He has also been spotted enjoying events across the county.

In June he attended a charity boxing afternoon on Saturday at FC Clacton’s Austin Arena, in Rush Green Road in Clacton.

The star arrived in a white, chauffeur driven Rolls-Royce.

During his two-hour visit he sat at a VIP table and happily spoke with fans and posed for pictures with delighted guests.