Customers who arrive by bicycle will get a five euro discount

A German brothel is going green in a bid to attract more business in tough economic times.

Customers who arrive by bicycle at Berlin's Maison d'Envie will receive a five-euro ($7, £4.30) discount on the usual fee of 70 euros.

The discount also applies to those who can prove they took public transport to get there, owner Thomas Goetz said.

"It's good for business, it's good for the environment and it's good for the girls," he said.

The recession had hit his industry hard, he told the Reuters news agency. But he said that the offer did appear to be working.

"We have around three to five new customers coming in daily to take advantage of the discount," he said.

And, he added, it had helped ease traffic congestion and free up parking in the neighbourhood.

Prostitution is legal in Germany, with an estimated 400,000 people thought to work in the sex industry.