Table device proves Dragons' Den wrong

Inventor Andrew Gordon is on the way to solving the age-old problem of annoying wobbly pub tables once and for all.

His invention Stabletable is attracting the interest of major pub operators and has already pocketed him a cool £500,000 worth of sales.

And all this comes despite his idea being rejected by a TV panel of millionaire entrepreneurs on the BBC series Dragons' Den.

Gordon supplies more than 2,000 pubs and clubs with his table stabiliser and is now in talks with pub groups Laurel and Fuller's. He revealed his invention took off after he was "ripped to shreds" by the business tycoons on the BBC show.

"We had about a million hits on our website after the show and I was delighted to prove the Dragons wrong.

"Sales took off and I am delighted we stuck to our guns, we even sold Kensington Palace some stabilisers for their tearoom tables," Gordon revealed.

Stabletable comprises a series of plastic leaves stuck together to prop up and stabilise wobbly tables - each unit retails for just £1 on the company's website.

"There is nothing more annoying than trying to have a drink or a meal on a table which pitches to and fro all the time, and the problem was so common that we were convinced we were onto a winner," he recalled.

But the BBC tycoons did not agree, with entrepreneur Rachel Elnaugh describing the idea as "ridiculous".

Another panel member sneered that beer mats would do a better job.