A taxi driver was arrested for allegedly stealing a British tourist's wallet left on the roof of his car in Thailand.

Opportunistic cabbie Prasert Pansa, 54, was hired by Brit passenger Thomas George Southgate, 19, from Nottingham, to take him to the Asleep Guesthouse in Kanchanaburi province on June 5.

However, Thomas accidentally left a pouch containing his wallet on top of the cab while carrying his luggage to the hostel reception desk.

CCTV footage shows Prasert spotting the wallet and rifling through its contents before throwing it into his car and driving away. A shirtless Thomas was later seen just a minute later rushing outside, only to find that the taxi had already departed.

Guesthouse manager Jidaporn said her staff had caught up with the cabbie at a nearby bus station, but he insisted on his innocence and denied stealing the wallet. However, they learned he was the culprit after checking the CCTV footage.

The locals then helped Thomas file a report with the Mueang Kanchanaburi Police Station.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Kritsada Chanuthai, superintendent of the Kanchanaburi Tourist Police, said: 'A patrol unit was dispatched to the scene to investigate and coordinate with the Kanchanaburi Provincial Police to apprehend the driver.'

Police Lieutenant Colonel Thanapat Thongpaiboon of Tourist Police Division 3 said Prasert was later intercepted along Phetkasem Road heading to neighbouring Nakhon Pathom province.

Officers found foreign banknotes inside the car, but no sign of the wallet, which also contained Thomas's passport and several personal documents.

The wallet was later recovered with the documents still inside, discarded on a median strip near a cemetery along Saeng Chuto Road.

Prasert was hauled back to the police station for interrogation and a reenactment of the crime.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Kritsada said: 'The suspect is detained at the Kanchanaburi City Police Station to be prosecuted for theft.'

Unscrupulous taxi drivers are among the leading complaints of foreign tourists in Thailand. They have become known for inflating prices, taking them to non-existent attractions or even threatening some holidaymakers

Citing a 2022 quarterly survey, the Tourism Council of Thailand had said that visitors rated taxi services poorly.

The tourists complained of 'unfair treatment' as cabbies reportedly tended to prefer passengers who agreed to pay a fare without using the taxi metre, or those who agree to pay an arbitrarily higher charge.

Officials said that tourists can use ride-hailing apps such as the NASDAQ listed company Grab, which provides taxis across Southeast Asia for the legal market rate.