Officials at the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) have begun to warn against “all but essential” travel to the Thai capital of Bangkok as flooding worsens.

A further 26 provinces in Thailand are also affected by flooding, with hundreds of deaths and billions of dollars worth of damage reported across the country.

However, Suvarnabhumi International airport continues to operate as normal, with flights to destinations elsewhere in Thailand – including the resorts of Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Phuket, and Koh Samui - operating normally.

“Transportation within the city including taxis, tuk-tuks, the BTS and the MRT are also operating normally. Public buses in Bangkok are running as usual with some rerouting in areas affected by the flood,” added a statement from the Tourism Authority of Thailand.

Flooding is mainly affecting the central provinces along the Chao Phraya River -including Bangkok and Ayutthaya.

In the greater Bangkok Metropolitan Area, several suburbs and areas adjacent to the Chao Phraya River are experiencing flooding.

As these areas are largely residential and industrial zones, they are not normally visited by tourists.

Tourists planning to travel to areas affected by the floods are advised to check the latest weather forecasts for their destination and confirm arrangements with the transportation providers with which they will be travelling.

Tourists can visit the Thailand Meteorological Department website for updated weather forecasts.

The floods are the worst in half a century in Thailand and have swamped about 10,000 factories north of Bangkok.

Water now threatens to course through the downtown areas of the city, places businesses, shopping malls and apartment blocks in danger.