A teenage hair stylist from Bradford will be clashing scissors with the world's top hairdressers this autumn.

British Junior Champion Joe Mercer, 19, from Wrose, is to represent Great Britain at the World Hairdressing Championships to be held in Milan in November.

As well as winning the British championships this year, the stylist has also picked up the Yorkshire Senior Men's Championship, the West Midland's Junior Championship and came second in the North-West Senior Men's Championships.

He recently returned from Germany where he came sixth in the German Cup and will be heading to Paris in October to take part in the French Cup.

Remarkably the stylist was a mere Saturday lad at the Brighouse salon, where he still works, just four years ago.

"I wanted to get into hairdressing since I was about 13," Mr Mercer said.

"It is creative, I like working with my hands and I wasn't particularly academic. I started doing competitions when I was 16."

Mr Mercer is a stylist at Taylor and Company Hair Studios, in Bethel Street, and trained at the company's college, also in Brighouse.

The salon has had a number of champion stylists working for them and encouraged Mr Mercer to compete.

Now he spends several hours a day after work, practising on models and 'blocks' to create his award-winning styles for men.

In the World Championships, at which he will be the second youngest competitor, he will have to create two classic styles and two fashion styles, in a total of 80 minutes.

He will be marked on the precision of the work as well as its originality.

He is currently determining what styles he will master for the competition. He said: "I have so many ideas at the moment, so I am just trying them out."

The former Hanson School pupil modestly attributes the secret of his success to the team that support him in the competitions and the encouragement he receives from his employers.

Mr Mercer said that he hoped to establish his own salon.