The sight of a conspicuous tattoo could be enough to destroy your chances of getting a job.

But a tattoo removal studio in West Moors is offering jobseekers an easy solution.

Francesca Edwards at E-raze Non-Laser Tattoo Removal is offering free tattoo removals to the unemployed.

She said: “Loads of jobseekers struggle to fit job requirements because they’ve got tattoos on their face, hands, or neck and I want to help people get work by removing them.”

The painless procedure, which usually costs more than £70, sees a cream tattooed into the original markings, which then binds with the ink, causing the body’s natural defences to force the substances out of the skin. It is performed at Profile 2000 in Park Way.

Francesca got the idea from a man in Sunderland who has been offering free tattoo removal for ladies in a women’s refuge who may have been “labelled” by their former partners.

She said: “A few years ago I wanted a tattoo removed but I didn’t want a laser procedure, so I looked for other options. I found this removal cream they use in America and decided to make it available in the UK.

“Now I want to use it to help people.”

The free service is being offered at Project 2000 “for the foreseeable future” and jobseekers must take proof of their unemployment in order to qualify.