A coffin-maker in Thailand is turning leftover casket wood into low-cost skateboards amid a boom in the popularity of the sport.

Anusorn Yangyuen, owner of the Burapa Coffin shop in Bangkok, had the idea after learning that the new skateboards are too expensive for many kids to buy.

He had so much sympathy for youngsters longing to grind and kickflip – but without the money for boards – that he set about making decks from caskets in his workshop.

Anusorn paints the skateboards white and decorates them with a gold angel – a comment feature of Thai caskets – to remind people of the original of the boards.

He said: "I used the leftover wood in my shop to make the skateboard and took the wheels from a building supply store."

Each board cost around 100 baht ($3.25) and they have got attention from people who love skateboarding. The wood is a kind of processed teak composite – unlike professional skateboards made from seven to nine plies of Canadian maple.

Anusorn has been inundated with inquiries for his boards but he refuses to sell them. Instead, he has continued with his initial plan to give them to the kids for free.

He added: "They might not be the best boards, but for some children, they will be all that they have. So it’s a good way for them to join in with the trend."