A motion by a former hairdressing MP to force all salons to register with a professional body has been blocked in the commons.  Tory MP David Morris, who ran salons for 28 years before becoming an MP, hoped his bill would prevent serious injury and even death caused by improper use of chemicals by the industry.

He said “I was a hairdresser for 28 years I was known as Mr Fixit and believe you me I saw some horror stories.  I saw women coming into my salon with their hair sky blue pink – that’s if it was still on their head.  When you have a psychological problem where your hair turns a funny colour, snaps off, has burns, you don’t know where to go to.”

The British Hairdressing council who offers registration for salons has only 6,000 on it’s books.

One of Mr Morris’ Tory colleagues, MP David Nutall, however did not agree that the proposed Bill would have the desired effect. He said “there is no demand for it. I have not had a single inquiry about this since I was elected. We do not want to criminalise hairdressers simply for not having a licence.”

The block comes as a woman from Yorkshire was left in a coma with brain damage after using home dying products. It is believed that she had a severe reaction to the chemical para-phenylenediamine (PPD), which is widely used in hair dyes.