Footage shows workers clearing away thousands of floral baskets that were floated onto waterways to mark the annual Buddhist Loy Krathong celebrations in Bangkok, Thailand.

Devotees released the ornamental candle-lit shrines into lakes, ponds, canals, rivers in a ritual that honours the religion's goddess of water on Monday evening, November 27.

However, the celebrations leave pollution clogging up the area. Staff from Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) scoured the city collecting the items in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Officials said the number of baskets had increased by 11.74 per cent compared with last year.

They added that a total of 168 staff, along with 37 boats and 13 trucks, were deployed for the nine-hour operation to transport the items for recycling.

BMA reported that this year that the number of krathongs collected in Bangkok reached 639,828, showing an increase of 67,226 compared to last year's total of 572,602.