Rough sleepers in Lewisham have been given a boost this Christmas with the introduction of indoor sleeping pods.

The fireproof pods are based at a Deptford night shelter ran by homeless charity the 999 Club.

Chief executive of the 999 Club, Tim Fallon, said: "We are excited about launching these sleeping pods, which are the first of their kind in the capital.

"They will provide very welcome privacy and a quiet space for people who come to our night shelter at their most vulnerable time."

The pods contain a mattress that acts as a bed and a seat and provides storage space for personal belongings.

They were designed by architects Reed Watts who were inspired by the work of the 999 Club.

Matt Watts, of Reed Watts, said: "Having worked with 999 Club, Housing Justice and Commonweal over the past months, we’ve been profoundly inspired by the work they do and the impact that the night shelters can have on the lives of homeless people.

"By releasing the design as a royalty-free Creative Commons licence we hope to give as many organisations as possible an opportunity to use the pods where there is a need for short-term shelter."

Ashley Horsey, chief executive of Commonweal Housing, added: "We are really excited that the 999 Club is going to be using more pods and we're looking forward to further assessing the impact they have on people using the shelter.

"Without collaboration with shelters like the 999 Club we would not be able to test the pods as a temporary form of accommodation, so we're grateful to be working with them, and looking forward to seeing the results."

The pods were designed to be practical and affordable and no tools are needed to set them up.

Deptford-based fabricators Aldworth James & Bond made the pieces for the pods and built them free of charge.