A travel executive spent the night in a double bed on Brighton beach to raise money for the homeless.

He was dressed in a pinstripe suit and tie to mimic the British Airways adverts.

Rain dampened the duvet but it was a successful stint for Paul Evans who raised £5,000 for St Patrick's Trust night shelter in Hove.

Paul, 45, chief executive officer of LowCostBeds.com, said: "I thought this would be a bit of fun and raise some money for a good cause.

"When we are all tucked up in bed at night, we forget that there are a lot of people who are not. It's April now but just imagine what it is like in the winter. It must be miserable."

Paul managed to persuade his 16-year-old son Luke to offer his bed for the occasion.

He said: "I thought this idea was relevant to the charity and what I do.

"I thought of the idea of LowCostBeds when I was lying on a beach, the sleeping place for some homeless people. I thought it would be funny to dress in a suit to mimic the British Airways adverts where the man goes to bed in New York and wakes up in London as I would wake up a lot more dishevelled."

Paul's wife Julie and younger sons Charlie, 13, and Sam, ten, brought a flask of coffee on Wednesday evening to warm him up and see him through to 9am the next day.

Paul, who lives in Sharpthorne, near East Grinstead, raised the money with help from Virgin.