MEN who received razors from Santa are being urged to exchange them for vitamins and fish oil, as Norse experts from JORVIK Viking Festival declare war on hair removal.

Time is running out for people to prepare for the festival’s Best Beard Contest later in the year by ditching Christmas razors for the foreseeable future.

Danielle Daglan, festival director, said: “Viking-style bushy beards are absolutely on trend at the moment, adorning the faces of celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Ryan Gosling and Hugh Jackman who have been sporting them in recent months, but you don’t grow a great beard overnight – it takes some cultivating!”