A small historic town has been 'overrun' by more than 30 Turkish-style barber shops and hair salons which locals say have 'sprang up out of nowhere'.

Residents in Sedgley say the sheer number of grooming businesses now lining their High Street has left the once quaint area feeling more like a 'barber shop capital' than a community hub.

The West Midlands town now has around one salon for every 390 people – making it one of the barber shop capitals of the UK.

The boom comes amid a nationwide surge in openings, with more than 750 barbers launching across the UK in 2024 – raising suspicions in some quarters that criminal gangs are infiltrating the industry to use shops as fronts to launder money.

Last year, NCA officers joined local police forces, immigration enforcement officers and HM Revenue and Customs inspectors to carry out raids on 33 barber shops that had been linked to money laundering and other criminality.

They seized more than £500,000 in dirty cash and arrested seven people.

There is no indication that is the case in Sedgley. But locals have voiced fears the rapid rise in numbers is simply unsustainable – and could drive out other much-needed independent stores.  

Hospital worker Rebecca O'Neil, 36, said: 'I don't think there's enough diversity in the shops here.

'It all tends to be loads of new barbers opening and some long-standing hairdressers have closed down as a result.

'It's a shame there's no boutiques or small independent shops so it ends up looking a small town rather than a village. It does sort of ruin the look of the village a little bit.

'Mainly they are barber shops that have opened, three have opened in real close proximity.'

While local resident Clive Page, 74, of Sedgley, said: 'There's too many in the area and there's a lot of Turkish barbers, which we don't really need.

'We just don't need so many barbers. They can't be making enough money as there's so much competition.

'You need a lot if customers to keep 30 hairdressers open, it does make you wonder.'

His sentiments reflect what Steve Reed, the Housing Secretary, said last year when he claimed locals were right to be suspicious about barbers that remained open despite having few customers.

'In many places in the country, you'll get people reporting many barbers suddenly opening up and not many people going in and getting their hair cut,' he told LBC.

'Who knows what they front for, but neither the council nor the community has been able to stop them proliferating, but now they will have the power to restrict them.'

Asked if he thought the shops were being used for criminal activities, such as drug dealing or money laundering, he said: 'Well, we know that some of them are.

'I'm not going to say that about all of them, but some are. The key point is that communities need the power to stop them proliferating where that's a problem.'

Jessie Southan, who runs Butterflies card shop in the town, said: 'I used to be in the market and that closed down.

'People say they wants a grocers or a bakery, but they were in the market, so its hard to know what to do anymore.

'It seems that is fast food, barbers and nail bars seem to be what people want at the moment.

'I've got a barbers next door to me and he does well. I don't know about some of the others.

'It is difficult and the only way you could do it is if the council says no more than so many and just have this.

'Thirty is a lot. But most businesses don't know what to do as the supermarkets are taking over.'

Another resident, who did not want to be named, added: 'There's loads of Turkish barber shops opened up in the last year or so.

'There's hardly any for ladies though, it all seems to be mens and there's too many Turkish barbers and we've become overrun with them.

'It will stop other independent businesses coming to the area I fear. They seem to have just sprang up out of nowhere.'

Phillip Dunn and Tony Colabella, both 60, have jointly run Menz Barber Shops in High Street for 24 years.

Phillip said: 'What's enabled us to stay open really, is our long standing customers, many of whom have been with us for this length of time and express loyalty towards us and we thank them for it.

'There is undoubted competition around but we like to think it is healthy competition and of course the shops cater for different markets, they are not all traditional barbers.'

Tony said: 'There has been an explosion of shops opening in the last few years and it is quite remarkable the amount of them in what is a fairly small area.

'We were kind of almost grateful when more opened up because we were that busy it took a bit of pressure off us, after all you can only cut one person's hair at a time and now it is probably more manageable.

'Some of the shops cater for the youngers side of the market and there are salons that mainly cater for women but we have survived partly again through loyalty and I wouldn't say we are thriving but we are doing ok, again partly down to the loyal customer base.'

Michael Evans, 85, from Sedgley, believes the amount of hairdressers takes something away from the uniqueness of the friendly barber.

He said: 'It's something I've been concerned about for a long time, is something I've complained about for a long time, because some of the hairdressers have been here for years and it's not fair on them.

'It takes a little pride away from them, possibly business as well from the longstanding ones, and you don't want the retail landscape to be dominated by hair shops and barbers.'

Manisha from Wolverhampton comes to Sedgley every week to have her hair cut at Cutz and Co in Millbank Street and said they are 'amazing'. 

She said: 'I guess with hairdressers you build up loyalty it makes you feel better when you have had your haircut and although there is obviously plenty of choice here though I didn't realise there were 30 shops, most people will probably stick with the one they know.'

George Washington, aged 72, from Sedgley said the amount of hairdressing shops might be a 'hook' to get young people back shopping in the town.

He said: 'The young people will become the lifeblood eventually and other than pubs, barbers or salons might attract them to get their hair done.

'The market is re-opening soon as well so we could have even more shops.'