Sleepy shoppers in China have had a rude awakening – after being banned from napping in furniture store IKEA.

The Swedish retailer has been forced to take action to stop visitors kicking off their shoes and going to sleep on their beds and sofas.

The problem has got so bad that nappers had taken over more than half of beds and sofas in the Xihongmen IKEA shop in Beijing, The People’s Daily reported – with some even getting under the covers for a snooze.

Scroll down for video

Managers at Swedish furniture store IKEA have now banned shoppers from sleeping in their beds and sofas

Sleepy shoppers have taken to kicking off their shoes and catching forty winks on the display furniture

The practice has become widespread in IKEA stores - with shoppers coming in especially to take a nap

One weary woman said she had come into IKEA especially to grab a quick forty winks in one of their ‘comfy’ beds.

She said she didn’t think it was a big issue, saying: ‘Yes it may affect customers who were shopping in the store but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.’

Another customer said: ‘Sleeping on the furniture will definitely affect other customers. I can understand the need to take a rest however if you are really having a sleep then that’s not very appropriate.’

One shopper said: 'Yes it may affect customers... but it shouldn't be too much of a problem'. Ikea disagree

IKEA employees said the problem is difficult to manage, because so many Chinese shoppers do it

But long-suffering staff at IKEA said the problem has become widespread across China – with management vowing to clamp down on the practice.

Under the new rules customers will still be allowed to try out the sofas and beds, but the removal of shoes to sleep in the beds is banned.

One anonymous IKEA assistant warned, however, it will be difficult to enforce the rules.

‘There are old people sleeping and many others are children, what can we say?’ they said.

Another employee explained that they currently wake up shoppers if they have been sleeping for an extended period of time – but when they move them on, another quickly fills their place.

By banning people from taking off their shoes, IKEA hope to stop Chinese shoppers falling asleep in the stores

Workers at IKEA shops regularly wake up exhausted shoppers - but another napper quickly takes their place

They added: ‘There are too many people doing this, it’s not possible to stop it.’

The MailOnline previously reported on the trend, which commentators saying their Beijing store is particularly popular for a nap because of its air-conditioning during the sweltering summers.

It is not the first time IKEA has had to deal with over-familiar customers in China.

One Shanghai Xuhui store was inundated with pensioners who would spend their time drinking the free coffee – and on the prowl for a new partner for their children.

The practice became so popular that telling people you were going to IKEA became a euphemism in China for ‘going to a matchmaking event’.

Genuine shoppers have been unable to see the furniture on sales because of the sleeping people on top of it

IKEA opened up their first shop in China in 1999 and the country is now home to three of the top five largest IKEA stores in the world, only beaten by one in Stockholm.

After the first shop opened in Beijing, pictures emerged of shoppers camping out on the sofas with their families, reading newspapers and eating biscuits.

The flat-pack chain was founded by 87-year-old Ingvar Kamprad in 1943 and it is now the world’s largest furniture retailer.