THE strawberry blonde tresses of a Worcester student turned the heads of judges in a national competition.

They chose 20-year-old Chloe Taylor, of Rossendale Close, Fernhill Heath, as one of Britain's five Best Tressed women and she will appear in women's magazine Glamour this summer.

Hair care experts from Sunsilk and Glamour had studied the nation's heads for the best tresses and girls had been invited to send in pictures with their top hair styling tips.

The other winners came from Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Durham.

"I thought it was a joke when I received the phone call. I never dreamt I would win the competition," said Chloe, who is studying Theatrical and Media Make-up and Costume Design at Worcester College of Technology.

"Sometimes I wear my hair straight and sometimes curly. It was straight and messy on the picture I sent in - not designer messy, just casual."

Her prize included a VIP mini-break for herself and her boyfriend, Martin Shaw, at a five-star St Martin's Lane hotel, together with a hair, make-up and manicure session at The Works studio, in London.

The former pupil of Worcester's Alice Ottley School said she came away with lots of freebies and a clearer idea of her future career.

"I wasn't sure whether to specialise in make-up or costume, but after speaking to the make-up artists at

The Works I've decided to do make-up.

"It was good work experience," she said.

Judge Ali Morris said the awards were a perfect way of celebrating all those 'hair heroines' who styled their hair themselves and achieved award-winning hairstyles every day.