A man is claiming he was the creator of the controversial “planking” craze.

Andy Welch, from Portslade, says he has proof he started the activity in which people are photographed lying down in unusual places.

The 38-year-old said he and his girlfriend Ellie Wyatt were so bored of striking the same old pose for their holiday snaps that while they were away in Croatia in 2006 they decided to start lying down instead.

They called the new pose “comfortable” and began “comfortabling” on their trips around the world.

They also spread the word about their new activity to their friends via email.

Their motto for the game is “Keep Still, Stay Strong.”

Mr Welch, who is originally from New Zealand, said he was surprised a year later to see a programme on television about a craze called “the lying down game”, which is also known as “planking”.

The activity hit the headlines last month when 20-year-old Acton Beale plummeted seven storeys to his death in Australia after what was believed to be an attempt to “plank” on a balcony.

But despite the tragedy the activity is still growing in popularity and has been used by two women, Karren and Jinyu, as a form of peaceful protest in Taiwan.

They have more than 100,000 followers on their Facebook “planking” website.

Mr Welch, who works for the web design agency Cubeworks in Brighton, says the game is essentially the same as “comfortabling”, except for the fact that the person lies on their front rather than their back.

He said: “My wife and I are the true originators of this ridiculous art form.

“Since we started comfortable in 2006 I think we can safely say that it is definitely the roots of the lying down game and planking - the date stamped on our photo from 2006 is proof.

“Comfortable is a lot more difficult as you have to balance on your back rather than on your front.

“It's also a contextual art form which is only limited by your imagination. There are a few genres that already exist, such as scenic, difficult, extreme, awkward and ironic.”

When The Argus contacted The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents for guidance about safety precautions when “planking”, a spokeswoman said she could not offer anything “useful or intelligent” to the debate.