The nation’s finest facial hair was on show in Brighton last weekend in a razor sharp competition.

More than 100 furry faced competitors took part in the first British Beard and Moustache Championships in Brighton on Saturday.

The Pavilion Gardens bristled with excitement as bearded men and ladies paraded their top lips ahead of the mane event.

See more competitors on parade in The Argus picture gallery.

Organisers hoped no one would start any stubble when the contestants displayed their chins at the Corn Exchange in a bizarre beauty pageant and the event passed successfully without a handlebar-room brawl.

Hirstute contenders sported everything from mutton chops and flowing locks to goatees with 33 competitors winning by a whisker.

Championship chairman and British Beard Club founder David Dade, 66, from Brighton, said: “We were astonished and delighted at the huge response and warm good wishes and thanks we’ve received from the hundreds of spectators and contestants who came to the event.

“We saw a wonderful variety of facial hair styles, from the elegant through to the fantastic, and the good-natured competition was very stiff, which is quite literally true.

“Britain's best Full beards and Handlebar moustaches were the most hotly-contested styles and all the contestants in the 11 categories put on a really great show.”

Bearded Brightonians claimed four of the trophies during the fan-tach-tic event.

Hove sculptor Nick Sayers, 39, who won the etched/sculpted beard category sported a diamond design that took six hours to shave across his entire head.

He thanked his long-suffering partner Tamsin Williams and barber Hannah Barker for her support after he claimed first place in the sculpted beard category.

Mr Sayers said: “I consider it one of my works; it was a collaborative work with my barber as I make mathematical sculptures from familiar and household objects so it was just a step forward from there.”

Engineer Paul Lewis, 41, from Brighton, who took first prize in the natural moustache class when the World Beard and Moustache Championships came to the city in 2007, was content with third prize this time around.

Colin Poetz from Brighton won third place in the full beard natural category which was the largest, along with the handlebar moustache class, with 18 competitors.

A spikey beard matching his flowing dreadlocks meant Stephen Brown from Brighton, took bronze in the freestyle full beard section.

The championships raised money for The Martlets Hospice and Macmillan Cancer Care.