This is the astonishing moment workers threw metal from a 53-storey abandoned building in Pattaya, Thailand.

Footage shows construction material being flung from the 20th floor of the deserted Waterfront Suites and Residence building on September 30.

Local media arrived at the scene and found workers cleaning out iron and aluminium bars from inside. The workers said they were ordered to collect the material 'to keep thieves from stealing it'.

Pantawat Pimsakul, 72, a lawyer for Bali Hai Company that developed the unfinished apartment tower, said the luxury condo has been on sale for 10 years. However, frequent break-ins had caused safety concerns.

He said: 'There have also been groups of homeless people living there, destroying things and making the area dirty. When I heard the news, as a lawyer for Bali Hai Company Limited, I decided to bring workers in to clean it. They will clear every floor and take down all the things in the building, which is why the video of things being thrown emerged.

'I promise to have the process completed as soon as possible, and I will definitely supervise and ensure that the public and tourists are not affected. I am also worried about the future. If I don't clean the building up today, I am afraid that in the future, parts of it will collapse during storms, causing trouble to the villagers.'

The building, described by officials as an 'eyesore' obstructing the idyllic seaside view, was put up for sale after construction halted in 2014. It has remained on the market for 10 years and has fallen into disrepair.

Authorities had found that the luxury condo deviated from the submitted blueprints, particularly with its fire escapes and elevators.

Then-Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Khunpluem defended the construction but was later accused of corruption and abuse of power in approving permits for the project.

He fled to Cambodia but was arrested when he returned to the Suvarnabhumi International Airport on October 9.