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Residents humorously say that you never need to wait for a haircut in Porth – the tiny town in South Wales that has 14 hair salons.

And they are correct. In fact, it would be difficult to find another customer at all.

The Daily Mail visited Porth last Wednesday to conduct a quick survey of its apparently booming haircare industry, which has expanded so much that there is one salon for every 426 residents – compared to approximately one salon for every 900 residents inLondon.

It arrives during a period of increasing doubt regarding the surge in ‘Turkish-style’ barbers, as authorities suspect that some are being utilized as fronts for criminal organizations.

Last year, hundreds of barbers were targeted in a campaign organized by the National Crime Agency, resulting in multiple arrests related to money laundering, drug trafficking, and modern-day slavery.

The 14th barber shop, Cold Fade, opened in Porth 11 months ago despite significant local resistance.

Today, it appears striking, featuring a line of six £700 custom-made blue chairs positioned towards circular mirrors, accompanied by a sound system playing rap music.

However, at noon on a Wednesday, there was an absence – patrons. From 9:30 am to 2 pm, the Daily Mail observed only four men enter for a haircut at Cold Fade.

If everyone chose the standard £12 option, only £48 would have been collected – insufficient to cover the sole barber’s wage, which exceeds the minimum.

It was the same image as the previous Wednesday, when only one customer entered between 9:30 AM and 1 PM.

Other establishments on the street have observed that the barbers in the stylish salon spend most of their time ‘idling around’.

Within less than 100 yards along Hannah Street, the scene on Wednesday was comparable at Porth Barbers, which received only two clients between 10 am and 2 pm.

It is important to note at this stage that there is no proof indicating that Cold Fade or any other barbers mentioned in this article have engaged in any improper activities.

A worker at Cold Fade informed the Daily Mail that Wednesdays tended to be very slow, and the idea that barbers were connected to criminal activity was a ‘wild stereotype’.

However, the chairman of Porth’s Chamber of Trade, who opposed Cool Fade establishing itself on Hannah Street, stated that the figures “don’t add up.”

A Cardiff-based Kurdish entrepreneur faced 34 distinct protest letters while seeking approval to convert an old amusement arcade into Cold Fade.

Nevertheless, Rhondda Cynon Taff Council gave approval to the new hairdresser’s shop, citing that it would restore the property to productive use and provide a beneficial impact on the larger shopping area.

Following the Senedd elections next month, Dan Parry, head of the Porth Chamber of Trade, will urge the new Welsh Government to examine its planning regulations in order to safeguard town centers from an overabundance of barbershops, nail salons, vape stores, and tattoo studios.

Mr. Parry, aged 26, stated to the Daily Mail: ‘I wonder how planning regulations permit so many companies to provide identical services. We require greater variety. There are an excessive number of hair salons and barbers in Porth, and the basic arithmetic doesn’t make sense.’

It raises worries, and you often come across people’s doubts suggesting that barbershops might be a cover for unlawful activities, but you can’t confirm this without proof to back it up.

Our quick survey in Porth revealed that Lazaro barber shop on Pontypridd Road was more crowded as it is favored by teenagers seeking the newest trends.

A number of patrons were waiting for haircuts at Yusif’s on Hannah Street.

However, at Porth Barbers, the only hairdresser working on Wednesday had not had a single client in over two hours.

A professional based on Hannah Street, who wished to remain unidentified, stated: “Occasionally, there are three of them inside with nothing to do.”

They gather near a gas fire because it must be chilly when seated for long periods. If they were standing and actively cutting hair all day, they would produce their own warmth and stay cozy.

But they would need patrons, and you rarely see anyone enter there.

The authorities have recently pledged to grant local councils additional authority to prevent undesirable stores from opening in towns such as Porth.

As it revealed its proposals, ministers specifically mentioned betting shops, vape outlets, and ‘phony barbers’.

Steve Reed, the Minister for Housing, stated that residents were frequently justified in their doubts.

“In various parts of the country, individuals have mentioned that numerous barbershops have opened recently, yet there’s not much foot traffic coming in for haircuts,” he said to LBC at that time.

Who can say what they are after, but neither the council nor the community has managed to prevent their spread, yet now they will have the authority to limit them.

When asked whether he believed the shops were being utilized for illegal activities, such as drug trafficking or money laundering, he responded: “Well, we are aware that some of them are.”

I’m not going to say that about all of them, but some certainly are.

The main idea is that communities should have the authority to prevent their spread when it becomes an issue.

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