Public health ministry executive Boonruang Triruangworawat said the woman was operated on by a doctor who was not certified to carry out cosmetic surgery. He has been arrested on charges of causing reckless death.

A British woman has died during corrective cosmetic surgery at a Bangkok clinic, authorities in Thailand said today.

The death of a British woman in Thailand highlights the dangers of 'cheap surgery' abroad, one of the UK's leading plastic surgeons has said.

Michael Cadier, president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, said: "This tragic case highlights how, if lured by the prospect of what is essentially 'cheap surgery', patients can be left vulnerable."

"In some cases, patients are even being treated by a person without proper surgical credentials - if any at all - which breaches all the fundamental guidelines for safe practice in cosmetic surgery in the UK," he added.