Wombles fans can, from today, help Wimbledon’s furry idols reach top of the pops this Christmas.

Wimbledon Common pop group the Wombles – created by Mike Batt in the 1970s – have today released their new song 'Wombling Merry Christmas', which they celebrated yesterday at HMV's Oxford Street store.

The eco-friendly five-piece are hoping their festive track is the bestselling UK song this Christmas, but it faces stiff competition against the cast of ITV soap The Only Way is Essex and Nirvana’s 1991 hit Smells Like Teen Spirit.

More than 4,200 people registered their support on social networking website Facebook for the Wombles to get the Christmas No 1, but they are likely to need at least 10 times that number to buy the song after last year’s chart-topping song was bought 437,000 times.

A 'greatest hits' album was also released on November 28 - entitled 'The W Factor' - which is a remastered compilation album of songs including 'Remember You're a Womble', 'Nashville Wombles' and 'Minuetto Allegretto'.

Speaking about Wombling Merry Christmas, which reached number two in 1974, Uncle Bulgaria said: “I don’t watch much television myself – I leave that to the young Wombles – but I hear The X Factor is jolly popular.

"However, W comes before X. Let’s see what people think of The W Factor! It should appeal to the common people.”

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