A sofa found dumped on the street has become the centrepiece of the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage.

The striking settee, completely covered in bright yellow tennis balls, was designed and built by 50-year-old furniture maker Mark Thurgood.

Mr Thurgood started work after finding a sofa dumped on the street.

Balls were donated by the Telford Park tennis club, Streatham, but it was Mr Thurgood’s friend who helped the sofa achieve national stardom.

Steve Graham, 59, said: "We were going to use it for the tennis club originally bit I thought we had to get it out there.

"I told the BBC about it and sent them some pictures and they started to show an interest.

"When John Inverdale saw it he just fell in love with it. It’s actually quite comfortable strangely enough."