Jeremy Corbyn had his beard trimmed in a Carmarthen barber shop

Big Mel's barbershop gave the UK Labour leader a trim

Being a political leader in the run-up to a General Election can be quite a time-consuming job, but it’s important to still find the time to keep yourself well groomed.

That’s what Jeremy Corbyn did over the weekend as he hit the campaign trail in Wales.

The Labour leader was in Barry , Swansea , Haverfordwest and Carmarthen on Saturday, before hitting the streets of north Wales on Sunday.

But it was in Carmarthen where he arguably made the biggest splash as he walked through the town centre and spoke at a rally at the county showground on the outskirts of town.

But in between the rallies and the speeches, he managed to pop into a popular Carmarthen barber shop to have his beard trimmed.

Mr Corbyn sat in a barber’s chair for around 20 minutes and spoke to staff and locals at Big Mel’s Barbershop in Nott Square in the centre of town.

“We had visitor from the Welsh Labour party come in on Saturday afternoon and he asked us if we minded if Jeremy Corbyn and some media popped in a bit later on,” explained owner Joey Sarrionandia.

“Of course we didn’t mind and we were happy to welcome him. We meet people from all walks of life in here and we’re very respectful to everyone and of everyone’s views.

“So just after 4pm he walked in and asked for a beard trim.”

Big Mel’s Barbershop, which opened as a business in 1997 and opened its current home in Nott Square two years ago, was a hive of media activity as Mr Corbyn sat in one of the leather chairs.

“We spoke for about 20 minutes, mainly about local business and also a bit about football,” added Joey.

“He was nice to chat to and seemed to take a genuine interest in how we were doing as a local, independent business. Despite all the media and the cameras going off he seemed very happy just to have a chat.”

Corbyn left the barber shop after around 25 minutes, but not before remembering that he had to pay.

“It’s £10 for a beard trim so as he got up to leave he put his hand into his pocket to get his wallet out," explained Joey.

"As it was past when we normally close on a Saturday I had already cashed up for the day, so I told him not to worry about it!”

With that Mr Corbyn was gone and Big Mel's Barbershop returned to normal.

“This wasn’t about politics for me,” added Joey.

“We respect everyone’s beliefs here. We were happy to have a public figure in the shop and it was just nice to chat to someone about local businesses, as they are so important for the future of Carmarthen and indeed any town.”