Britons celebrate hirsute triumph

The prize tankards included a beard and moustache guard

Four British entrants are smiling through their facial hair after winning categories at the World Beard and Moustache Championships.

The host city of Brighton and Hove is celebrating a victory for one of its own residents, Paul Lewis, an engineer who won for Natural Moustache.

There were also winners in the partial beard section from Surrey and Wales.

German entrants took nine of the prizes while the remaining four went to contestants from the US.

Several hundred people entered the championships which were staged at the Brighton Centre on Saturday.

Organiser Steve Parsons, from The Handlebar Club, said: "We had it in Brighton because we were hoping the people would embrace it and have fun - and they really did.

"We sold out all the tickets and we had people who couldn't get in."

German entrant Elmar Weiser won for his Tower Bridge beard

Mr Lewis, 36, said he only recently entered the competition after friends persuaded him.

"Getting in the top three was quite amazing in itself - and then to get first place was really a big surprise.

"The event was great fun with a great atmosphere, it was good to see so many weird and wonderful examples of facial hair."

Mr Lewis said he would "never say never" to defending his title in Alaska in 2009.

The other UK winners were Ted Sedman, of Mytchett in Surrey, for Partial Beard, Chinese and Frazer Coppin for Partial Beard, Musketeer.

The event raised about £10,000 towards the Everyman cancer charity and the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital's Rockinghorse appeal.

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