A Thai security guard has apologised for football kicking a British tourist in the head.

The bouncer, 24, was working alongside two others when they began fighting with three British tourists in Pattaya, Thailand, on Friday evening.

The group claimed that the bar had tried to scam them by inflating the receipt sparking angry scenes with the prostitutes at the Helicopter Bar.

Three security guards intervened and attacked two of the men - one in a grey shirt and one in a white shirt - knocking them both to the ground.

Footage shows the tourist lying on the ground while raising his hands pleading for them to stop. However, one of the guards then took a run-up and kicked his head at full force. Both his feet even came off the ground from the ferocity of the kick.

The victim was lifeless on the ground for several minutes. Witnesses claimed the man was in a coma in intensive care.

Speaking in the video, the security (far left) who kicked the Brit while he was down said he was sorry for harming the image of the city, which relies on tourism.

The other two bouncers were aged 27 and 36. None of them were arrested or charged but they were given a dressing down by police before being released.

He said: 'We did not know the amount of the bill that the tourists did not pay. We arrived after being called by a cashier to protect her because she was afraid.

'I want to apologise to society and Pattaya authorities for overdoing it by continuing to attack the tourists when they were down. I acted out of temper after being attacked first.

'We work as part of a group of security guards. There are five of us and we are hired by 28 bars on the road.'

Sergeant Major Arthon from the Pattaya City police station said that the three security guards have since been warned about their conduct but they have not been arrested or charged.

He said: 'The tourist in the video who was attacked has not filed a police report, so we cannot assign an investigating officer. There's no case open until they complain. We've had a look around but can't find them.

'Yes, we're still checking CCTV to see what happened to them. There are rumours that he is in intensive care but we haven't heard anything from hospitals.'

CCTV shows how the bills were settled but the tourist in a white t-shirt then pushed a security guard and the fight escalated.

Police Colonel Nawin Thirawit, superintendent of Pattaya Police Station, said today that the bouncers' actions had tarnished the image of Pattaya.

They were invited to the police station and apologised for 'damaging the image of the country'.

The policeman added: 'The security guards should have prevented the incident and reported it to the police.

'Anyone who works in this industry must keep their emotions in check and focus on preventing incidents rather than attacking people.

'Caes like this can damage the reputation of the city and deter tourists from visiting.'

One of the sex workers from the bar where the incident unfolded said that the group of three men disputed their drinks bill, which came to around 2,8000 Baht (60 GBP).

Bar hostess Samorn, 38, said that the three men had paid for two prostitutes to drink with them.

She said: 'Two of the tourists had paid their bills, but another had not and changed his seat several times.

'I asked them to pay the bill, but the tourist in the white shirt argued that he had already paid. I explained that the money O was asking for was the payment of someone who had not paid and not his own bill.

'They insulted me and said the bar was trying to scam them, so I called the security over and told them the tourist would not pay his bill.'

Helicopter Bar, which is understood to have British owners, did not respond to requests for comment.

Several other bars on the same street are owned and managed by the company Nightwish Group.

Pattaya emerged as a nightlife destination in the 1960s when Thailand fought alongside the United States and provided them with land for eight military bases, allowing the massacre of North Vietnam and the deaths of two million civilians in the 1950s and 1960s.

In between killing missions, American GIs would have debauched 'rest and relaxation' leave in the coastal enclave, leading to a raucous nightlife industry that has endured to this day.

Thailand received at least 1.7 billion dollars from the U.S. for its support and also profited from the nascent tourism industry serving more than 50,000 'yanks'. However, the country has never faced the same public criticism over the Vietnam War and has never apologised for its part in the atrocities.