A FATHER and son combination from Blackburn have proved to be a cut above the rest in Lancashire.

But even though Eric Brotherton's family are "Cutting it" in the world of hairdressing, he has insisted it is nothing like it is portrayed on the BBC 1 drama of the same name.

Eric, 47, the owner of Triangles Hair and Beauty, Preston Old Road, is hoping judges at an international level now also like his style when he represents Great Britain at the Hairdressing World Championships later this year.

For the second year in succession Eric and 18-year-old Kyle scooped top awards in both the senior and junior categories of the Lancashire Red Rose Championships in the Trafalgar Swallow Hotel near Preston.

Crimper Eric has been cutting hair in Blackburn for over 30 years. And Kyle, who initially trained at Blackburn College, is following in his father's footsteps, working at the salon while also attending the Michael John training centre in Manchester.

The pair laugh at suggestions their success has anything to do with taking tips from Amanda Holden and her fellow acting stars.

Eric said: "I just look at it and I laugh, it's so detached from reality.

"It's not very fair the way we're shown on the television. As far as I'm concerned in my salon what gets said in there is treated with the utmost confidence.

"We don't discuss anything outside the salon."

The drama is in its fourth and final series.

Eric revealed he was more intrigued by Channel Four's reality television show The Salon with unforgettable stars Ricardo, Paul and Adee.

Eric said: "We do up-to-date, trendy fashion styles. I've won the title four times in the last five years and when the two of us won the two titles for the second year in a row I was just over-the-moon.

"There's not many times that I'm left speechless but I was then.

"I'm delighted for my son, who's followed me into the business."

After last year's award Eric was invited to join the British team and has already represented his country at a competition in Paris.

And this latest accolade signals the start of a busy time for him as he prepares to travel to Stuttgart in Germany on March 4 to compete in an international event.

Then it's the North East Area Championships in Middlesbrough before Eric and his Great Britain team-mates take on the very best hairdressers across the globe at the World Championships in Moscow, Russia.

Eric and the team, which is made up of individuals from all over England and Wales, are preparing for the World Championships with intense training every Sunday in Birmingham.