A hair salon in Earls Colne is in with a shot of winning the prestigious tag of being the best salon in Essex.

Staff at Ruari's Hair Salon, in High Street, are celebrating after being shortlisted for a total of three titles at the Essex Salon Awards.

As well as best salon in Essex, the salon is in with a chance of being named the best for customer experience and marketing trailblazer.

Rory O'Shea owns the High Street salon and said he was thrilled to have a chance at winning the gongs after entering earlier this year.

Mr O'Shea said: "It's amazing to be honest, I was saying to the girls that to not even have been open for three years and to be up against some of the best salons in Essex is just absolutely fantastic.

"We've all worked so hard and have been putting in as many hours as we can. The staff are overjoyed and without their support and hard work we wouldn't have been able to get the nominations - it's been a full team effort.

"If we were to win it would be a completely surreal feeling - to be from a small town like Earls Colne and to be up against some of the best is amazing."

According to its website, the Essex Salon Awards "celebrate and acknowledge the success of some of the most creative, dynamic and innovative hair salons, hairdressers and barbers."

Ruari's will celebrate its third birthday in October and Mr O'Shea said the first three years of business had been great.

He said: "Business has been great since we opened, we've had so much support from people in Earls Colne and we've even got clients coming from as far as Cambridge to see us.

"Going forward, I want to grow the salon as much as I can."

Mr O'Shea and his staff will find out whether they have won at an awards ceremony to be held at Orsett Hall, in Grays, on November 11.