As well as styling the tresses of the rich and famous, their products line the shelves in shops across the country.

So it may be surprising to learn that there is a shortage of male hairdressers in the UK.

Saddled with a camp image and a low starting pay, creative young men are shunning the profession.

In a bid to turn this around, Peterborough Regional College (PRC) is encouraging more young men to consider courses in hairdressing as an alternative to the typically male choice of sport, construction or engineering.

Backing the college's drive is Tony Manganiello, who co-owns Hair Xclusive, in Thorpe Wood, with his wife.

The 44-year-old has been cutting and styling locks for 25 years but has only had a handful of male stylists working for him in that time.

He said: "There are not enough males coming into the industry, especially in Peterborough.

"I haven't got any at the moment, apart from myself."

When he started, he got some stick from his mates, but he hopes times have moved on.

He added: "If a young chap has passion and skill, he could go a long way.

"It's so creative, and it's not just salon work you can do. I also encourage my staff to enter competitions. The biggest guy on stage now is Lee Stafford, and he comes across as very masculine."

An example of one of the very few young males breaking the mould on a hairdressing course at PRC is 17-year-old Jay Handley.

Jay, who is studying for a modern apprenticeship NVQ 2 in hairdressing, said: "I didn't think twice about applying as I have always been interested in hairdressing.

"I'm really getting on well and the fact that my class is dominated by females is a bonus."

Fellow hairdresser Kieran Hanley (19) is in his second year of hairdressing at the college and is loving every minute of it.

He attends college once a week to study with the rest of his class, who are all female, and works four or five days a week at the trendy PKai hair salon at Serpentine Green, Hampton.

He said: "I have always shown an interest in hairdressing and I love being around people. Being the only lad in class of 20 lovely ladies is a perk too.

"My mates did give me some stick at the start when I decided to take up hairdressing but they are envious now and are always asking me to cut and style their hair."

Kieran is due to complete his NVQ 2 Apprenticeship in Hairdressing soon and his ambition is to open his own salon.

He said: "I have really enjoyed my course as I get the best of both worlds.

"I can't wait to qualify and start working here full-time."

At PRC, out of a total of 200 students taking hairdressing courses, only seven are male.

For more information about courses at PRC, call the information centre on 0845 8728722 or log onto www.peterborough.ac.uk,/a>.