This is the shocking moment cruise ship workers appeared to dump plastic rubbish into a river in Thailand.

The luxury Royal Galaxy Cruise allegedly stopped by the spot 50ft away from a riverside restaurant where the owner and her friend recorded them for evidence in Bangkok.

Footage shows the suspect polluters emptying trash bags and large bins into the water on February 26. The cruise offered dinner and tour along the river.

Plastic cups and bottles floated away and they continued to throw more garbage just before dark.

Eyewitness Carla Porter, who was also Miss Thailand beauty queen in 2009, recorded the crew members dumping trash from the restaurant of her friend.

Carla said: 'My friend was the one who first saw them. They arrived at the same spot at around the same spot every day.'

The crew members allegedly disposed of the rubbish at the back of the vessel so no one would see them, but the eagle-eyed restaurant owner noticed what they had been doing and informed Carla.

The beauty queen added: 'It is shocking that a company benefitting from the river would be the one to destroy it. That just does not make sense to me.'

Residents reported finding loads of rubbish floating into canals and nearby areas where the cruise ship had been allegedly dumping its trash.

A day later, the Bangkok City Law Enforcement Department inspected the vessel after Carla sent the video to them.

They found Royal Galaxy Cruise operates two vessels picking up customers from Asiatique The Riverfront from 5 pm to 8 pm and has been in operation for just over a year.

Authorities sent a warning letter for violating the Public Health Act as they did not have proper permits to sell food.

However, the alleged dumping of trash into the river is still under investigation. The vessel's garbage sorting and grease-trapping processes would be inspected.

The company later apologised, with three of their crew members already dismissed while the manager is under investigation.

The Marine Department suspended both the vessel and operator licenses.

The department also filed a violation of the Navigation in Thai Waters Act, with a penalty of up to six months in jail, a fine of up to 10,000 baht (232.33 GBP) or both. 

Officials said that dozens of vessels currently operating on the Chao Phraya River will also be summoned for discussions to develop prevention measures.

The Chao Phraya River is a popular tourist destination, but it suffers from pollution due to household waste, industrial discharge, sewage, and agricultural runoff. More than 44 garbage boats collect an average of 10.35 tonnes of waste from the river each day.