A Tadcaster punk rocker's "Mohican" has launched him into the limelight.

Ross Tierney, 21, lead guitarist of punk band Flint, has become a celebrity on the streets of North Yorkshire due to his hair-raising style.

Ross, who goes by the stage name of Rossini Pornostar, has lived in Tadcaster for the past five years.

He said: "Everyone knows me, not just in Tadcaster but in York as well."

His hairstyle has helped add to the band's success. Flint plays regularly at Fibbers in York and has two CDs on sale in HMV, Have Some and Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy. They are hoping to start a UK tour on June 29.

He said: "A lot of the emails to our website, www.flinttad.co.uk, are about my hair. I'm even going to star in a short film by a European television company in a couple of weeks."

Ross, who is a hairdresser at David Charles in Tingley, Leeds, insists customers aren't put off by his massive Mohican.

He said: "It is a young and trendy place. I do conventional stuff but I also do quite a few wacky styles."

Updated: 11:34 Wednesday, April 24, 2002