Buddhist devotees have been urged to stop polluting bodies of water during the yearly Loy Krathong Festival in Thailand.

Environmental advocates have appealed to festival-goers to refrain from floating their candle-lit baskets into the sea, rivers, canals, ponds and lakes during the celebrations.

The annual festival, also known as Thailand's Festival of Lights, is held nationwide with devotees gathering to release floating lanterns or 'Krathongs' to worship the Goddess of Water 'Kong Ka'.

Though visually appealing, the ornate crafts eventually clog waterways, accumulating on shores and posing threats to marine wildlife that can accidentally ingest them.

Waranyu Boonsit, from the environmental group Monsoongarbage Thailand, said his aim was not to get the festival cancelled, but to raise awareness about the waste generated during the festivities.

He said: 'Metal and foam remain in rivers and seas for months. There is even bread left behind, which can rot in rivers, canals and seas.

'Often there are needles and nails used to fasten the lanterns found floating in the water. As a result, tourists have been injured. Animals are harmed too. Last year, a sea turtle was found floating dead on the beach. There were many banana leaves and nails in its stomach.

'Humans are strange creatures. We worship the invisible but hurt the environment we can see.'

Waranyu said that the baskets should instead be released in a designated area with an enclosed space to prevent pollution and make cleaning easier.

According to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, 841,327 krathongs or lanterns were collected in Bangkok after the festival in 2018. The numbers dropped during the pandemic, but are seeing an increase as restrictions were eased.

In 2022, there were 572,602 lanterns recovered, with more expected for this year's festival.

Loy Krathong is said to have started in the 12th century in the ancient Thai kingdom. Meaning 'to float a basket', it follows the Buddhists belief of paying respect to water spirits.

Since the last century, it has been celebrated annually throughout the Kingdom of Thailand and neighbouring countries such as Laos and Vietnam, where Buddhism is also endemic.

The festival takes place on the evening with a full moon in the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. The exact date of Loy Krathong, also spelled Loi Krathong, varies slightly every year.