The Barbería Charly has been open for only two months but demand for the hairdresser’s speciality cut – a military style known as the corte ingles – looks pretty healthy, with up to 30 hard-looking young men passing through the premises each day.

The barber himself, Carlos Vañegas (right), a dapper former army sergeant, says setting up his own salon has been easier than he expected, mainly because of the way the local council in Tegucigalpa, capital of Honduras, has been slashing red tape.