THE boss of a furniture chain has praised the stamina of a man who slept under the stars ahead of the Boxing Day sale.

The pavement was Craig Holt's pillow as he camped outside the Middlesbrough branch of Barker and Stonehouse on Christmas night to ensure he was at the head of the queue for the sale - with his sights set on a luxury bed.

Too cold to sleep, the 23-year-old chatted the night away with friend Paul Gamesby who decided to shiver with him in the tent - while Craig's wife Samantha and one-year-old daughter Chloe slept snugly at home in Eston.

"We just stopped there all night," said Craig. "I had not got much sleep the night before, Christmas Eve, because we had been out celebrating. As Christmas night wore on, we started thinking maybe we should go home, but I stuck it out and got the bed."

Craig reckons his self-inflicted ordeal, on one of the coldest nights of the year, was worth it.

He bought the £2,600 bed for £495 in the sales.

"It's a beautiful bed, basically king-sized with a storage area under the mattress. And it has even got a reclining head board."

Craig and Paul took drinks to keep them going, while Craig's brother, Mark, paid a visit with a welcome flask of coffee. Samantha said: "I think it was the first night we got icy patches on the ground.

"He was absolutely knocked out when he got home and went straight to bed. I think he got up at about 4pm on Boxing Day."

James Barker, the firm's managing director, said: "I find what he did quite impressive, but he was absolutely determined to get the bed."