Biddable, beautiful and beddable - but most definitely not British

Emma Cook discovers the attractions of Thai brides

Up To 4,000 British men a year are paying introduction agencies to find Far Eastern brides - women described as "biddable, beautiful and beddable".

The burgeoning trade was highlighted last week when it was revealed that 75-year-old Brian Clegg, the former chairman of British Gas's Northern Region, had married 23-year-old Thai waitress Banjit Sawaengdee after meeting her through an agency.

Demand for suitable brides is so strong that agencies can charge men several thousand pounds for an introduction, as well as travel expenses.

Mr Clegg met Banjit through Siam Introductions, a dating agency based in Kent. It charges clients pounds 1,800 to pounds 2,000 for the service, which includes a video featuring around 300 girls.

Customers draw up a short list of about a dozen women and then travel to Bangkok to select the "best" one. They usually propose within 10 days of meeting. Charles Black, proprietor of Siam Introductions, sends over about eight men a month. He guarantees "100 per cent success" but also warns: "The beautiful girls do get snapped up quickly."

The trade is so lucrative that there are 145 registered agencies in Britain. According to Bill Howard, of the World Association of Introduction Agencies, there has been a 20 per cent increase in international marriages over the past three years. "Thai women can come over here now much more easily because of the recent changes in law which means the door is open much wider. People aren't looking locally any more. They are prepared to travel thousands of miles to meet a person."

What sort of woman is such a man looking for? Women who are reliant, unquestioning and wizards with a duster, it seems. The exact opposite, in fact, of most British women these days, in terms of status and expectations.

Mr Black, 69, and himself married for 12 years to a Thai woman more than 30 years his junior, provides certain clues as to the typical man who picks a Thai wife. They have four children, the youngest nine months old. "My wife is extremely happy," he says. "She wears out the furniture she cleans it so much. Even now I can hear her vacuuming. They're a joy to have around and they worship the ground you walk on."

It seems there is no end to her domestic talents. "My socks are beautifully ironed and folded," says Mr Black. "My other wife just used to throw them in the drawer." Then there is her personal hygiene: "She showers three or four times a day - and in winter too."

In a spare moment betweenshowering and vacuuming, his wife, Deer, explains why English men are so perfect. "Thai men are no good - they always have another girl, another and another. I want to have a good life and lovely children. My husband is not rich. He's had to work hard but he loves his family and looks after us." She never misses Thailand. "When I had my first son, Mark, I didn't care what I'd left behind. I'm happy with what I have here."

Finance is never a concern for Thai girls, argues Mr Black; loyalty and fidelity is what they crave. "Thai men are very unfaithful - they're called butterflies. So the women are looking for security. Their priorities are quite different from Englishwomen."

Typically, his clients are in their 40s, often divorced, and hankering for an idealised "traditional" marriage. And yet, how- ever contented some of these matches may be, there is something faintly disturbing about a husband who praises his partner so highly in terms of her attention to hygiene. Julia Cole of Relate is not impressed. "It's the pull of the past - of the idea of a golden age when men and women stuck to their roles. Maybe it's also to do with men's anxiety and fear of not being attractive to women in this country."

Or rather what used to be attractive no longer holds any currency. Says psychologist Susan Quilliam: "Younger women just aren't up for the contract any more - they're not giving up their independence for security. They don't need men for finance as they did 35 years ago. And so men are starting to look elsewhere."

But what these men overlook is that once their adoring Thai brides arrive in England, they may well start reshaping their values. "What happens when they start understanding the culture they've come to?" asks Ms Cole. "When they start getting more education, more self esteem, that's when the relationship will run into problems." Perhaps then hubby will have to learn to iron his socks himself.