PEOPLE were star-spotting as celebrities descended on an Oxfordshire town for the wedding of England football captain John Terry.

Hoteliers in Woodstock were tight-lipped about their guests as the Chelsea defender married childhood sweetheart Toni Poole in a lavish ceremony yesterday at Blenheim Palace.

And with rumours of an exclusive £1m magazine deal, most local people were left guessing about who was invited - although some were more lucky.

Keith Vickers, of Vickers Hotel and Restaurant, was stunned when England manager Steve McClaren and his wife dropped in for a glass of wine on Thursday.

Mr Vickers, whose father - also called Keith - was a professional footballer in the 1960s, said: "He came and had a drink with us. He got mobbed in the street so he dived in for a bit of cover.

"I am keen on football so I knew who he was straight away. He was in here for about half-an-hour.

"I think he used to live over in Stanton Harcourt and he said he was going to look around Witney while he was here. He knows the area quite well. He gave one of the waitresses his autograph."

Mr Vickers said the atmosphere in Woodstock was exciting.

He said: "Everyone's buzzing. We had groups of young lads walking around last night seeing who they could spot."

And he said he spotted the wedding car - a white Bentley with tinted windows - on its way to the palace just before the 4pm ceremony.

Florist Kim O'Brien said she hoped celebrities might pick her shop for their last-minute buttonhole blooms.

She said: "My husband thought he saw John Terry driving out of Woodstock about 8.30am this morning in his Lamborghini.

"And one customers said he was having dinner with Michael Owen in The Feathers Hotel."

Gilly Diggle, of Woodstock's Perspective gift shop, said staff thought they had spotted a footballer's wife in the store on Thursday.

She said: "It was the way she was dressed - she was so smart. She had a Chanel handbag and a Chanel necklace and a big, big diamond ring."

Post office clerk Swarn Lally said: "Steve McClaren was in The Bear last night. I saw him from the window - I am hoping to catch him there tonight."

Her colleague added: "We are keeping our eyes open. Someone told me they have had the Queen, Bill Clinton and the Prime Minister at the palace and there's never been this much security."

A member of staff at the Kings Arms Hotel said: "Michael Owen's supposed to be coming in for a drink later, but who knows."

A source at The Feathers Hotel said a large booking was cancelled at the last minute after a number of queries from journalists about who would be staying there.

When asked whether any of the wedding party was staying at The Bear Hotel, spokesman Rachel Baldock said: "We are not allowed to say anything. Our lips are sealed."

About 200 guests were believed to have witnessed the ceremony in Blenheim's Great Hall before dinner and dancing.