This is the terrifying moment British tourists screamed as their speedboat crashed into trees.

Ellie Neary, from Derbyshire, was on an island hopping trip between Koh Lipe and Koh Lanta in the south of Thailand when the driver lost control on January 3.

Footage shows the panicked holidaymakers clinging onto their seats and cowering as they braced for impact.

The vessel leaped from the water and skidded across land, slicing through branches and leaves in a mangrove forest.

Shaken holidaymaker Ellie Georgia is heard in the video calmly saying: 'F****** great. Our speedboat's just crashed into a load of f****** trees.'

Speaking after, Ellie added: 'Our speedboat crashed at high speed onto land while travelling from Koh Lipe to Koh Lanta. The driver lost control and smashed into the trees.

'It was the scariest thing that happened to me on the trip. It was lucky nobody was hurt.'

When the speedboat halted, the tourists were heard asking each other if they were fine. While the island-hoppers appeared traumatised, no one was seriously hurt.

They all went out to check the damage in the grounded vessel before it was pushed back into the water to continue the journey.

Thailand's largely unregulated 'Wild West' tourism industry has become notorious for its lack of health and safety. Unqualified boat operators often take risks - venturing into choppy seas only for their vessels to capsize.

The worst accident in recent years was in November 2018 when a ferry sank in rough seas off the coast of Phuket killing dozens of Chinese tourists.

In August 2020, a ferry sank off the coast of Koh Samui leaving at least three dead. While just last month, a South Korean holidaymaker died when a boat capsised near the island of Koh Phangan in Surat Thani province.