Footage of the biggest massage parlours in Bangkok, which are among those that officials are blaming for causing the city to sink.

The sprawling brothels - some with more than 300 ROOMS - resemble five star hotels but actually provide sex services for mainly wealthy for locals and Asian tourists.

They have escaped a wide-ranging crackdown on the country's notorious prostitution industry.

But campaigners have slammed the seedy venues - claiming they illegally tap into ground water to fuel the massive bubble baths, jacuzzis and constant showers with punters. Pumping ground water from illegal wells and bore holes allows large buildings to bypass mains supplies and use water virtually for free - reducing running costs.

But removing ground water weakens the soil - a problem worsened by Bangkok's geological make up and surging numbers of high-rise buildings weighing down on the earth.

Gmt Hydrologist Aranya Fuengsawat said a number of large massage parlours are now significantly adding to subsidence that is causing the Thai capital to sink by around 2cm a year.

Despite an earlier crackdown, which also targeted hotels, factories and shopping malls, Aranya claimed that industrial-size massage parlours are among those still sucking up water from the ground.

The massage parlours pictured are in Ratchada, known for its large sex venues. They are among the generic group of large venues singled out for criticism. Aranya, the government's groundwater department deputy director, did not name the venues individually.

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