Beauty salons offering semi-permanent make-up face new legislation following the introduction of bye-laws by Blackpool Council.

Temporary tattoos, acupuncture and body piercing have also been hit by the change in the rules, introduced this month.

Premises offering any of these techniques will now have to register with the local authority to ensure that they are complying with health and safety guidelines.

The changes were introduced on March 1 following the rise in the number of people offering piercing and various micro-pigmentation procedures.

Deborah Pritchard, who runs Eternal Health and Beauty on Holmfield Road, Blackpool, supplies a range of treatments including semi-permanent make-up.

She said: "I'm already registered for ear piercing but I think these new bye-laws are a good idea.

"They will protect customers from people who set themselves up with no qualifications and who can cause all sorts of problems if they don't know what they're doing."

A spokesman for the council said:"Semi-permanent make-up involves piercing the skin and it's important that the people who are carrying out this practice are regulated.

"It's not just a case of being registered, there are health and safety considerations as well.

"It may be that a hair salon is registered for ear piercing, but they need to check with us to ensure they are meeting the relevant health and safely rules."

A new registration costs £105.

If people are in any doubt about whether or not they need to be registered they should call the environmental health team on 01253 478336.