The pursuit of the hirsute is on!

Residents are bristling with ideas to ensure the forthcoming Saltaire Festival is a hair-raising event and a competition to find the best Sir Titus Salt beards could be its crowning glory. Saltaire resident James Duncan, himself the owner of an impressive beard, said he thought up the idea to honour the founder of the historic village.

"The idea is very much in its infancy and we are going to put the idea forward at a meeting on Monday and hope it gets a good response," said Mr Duncan, a former chairman of the Saltaire Village Society.

"Sir Titus was a larger than life figure with an extraordinary beard. A former chairman of the village society, Clive Woods, also has an impressive beard and it has become a bit of a joke so we thought why not add it to the festival?"

Saltaire barber Peter Randall pick the winner during the festival.

A public meeting will be held at 7.30pm on Monday at Victoria Hall to discuss the plans.