SHAMED paedophile Gary Glitter is believed to have fled the Hampshire village he has been using as a secret hideaway, the Daily Echo can reveal.

The former glam rock star is today back in hiding after he was spotted in the leafy Hampshire village of Warsash.

The 64-year-old was seen admiring used cars outside a luxury motor dealership.

Local community leaders last night warned residents could take vigilante action if he ever returned.

Glitter - real name Paul Gadd - had been staying with a friend in Hill Head near Fareham since his return to Britain on Friday.

The 64-year-old was spotted in an orange wig and straw hat as he took a stroll outside the secluded £2m detached home.

He was later seen in the car park of a local Sainsbury's supermarket and admiring a £25,950 Mercedes ML350 at Peter Nash Specialist Cars, on Warsash Road.

Dealership manager Mark Nash said: "We have not seen him or dealt with him, but he is obviously around the area.

He added: "I don't know if I'd want to sell him a car, business is business, but you don't want to be seen to be dealing with unpopular people."

Fareham Borough Council leader councillor Sean Woodward said the former pop superstar was not welcome in the local community.

"I have absolutely no desire to share the borough of Fareham with Glitter, or Paul Gadd, or whatever he calls himself and if he is here I hope he goes very quickly and never comes back," he said.

"I'm sure any parent who lives here would share my view that they don't want him in Fareham."

He added: "I would think that (vigilante violence) was highly likely if he was spotted somewhere and that is not something I would wish to deploy resources to contend with."

A source told the Echo that Glitter had never returned to his hideaway, believed to be in nearby Stubbington or Hill Head, after his late night shopping trip.

Glitter was earlier jailed in Britain in 1999 for possessing 4,000 pornographic pictures of children.

Glitter has historic links with Hampshire. He has relatives in Portsmouth and he kept his yacht Voyageur berthed at Haslar Marina, in Gosport, in the late 1990s.

Police swooped on his 40ft vessel in November 1997 after 4,000 pornographic pictures of children were found on a computer he had taken to a repair shop.

At the height of his fame he lived in Rogate, Petersfield.

Glitter was this month freed early from jail in Vietnam after serving three years for offences against two girls.

Upon his return to Britain, he was ordered to sign the sex offenders' register.

A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman would not confirm or deny if Glitter had done so.

"It is our policy not to discuss any details of named individuals who are registered sex offenders. Therefore I cannot confirm one that he is here or two where he might be," the spokesman said.

"Protection of the public is priority for the police and Hampshire Constabulary has invested significant resources into the management of offenders and we have a duty to prevent public order situations and protect individuals who may be at risk."