Airbnb is hosting an increasing number of 'pop-up' brothels used for huge parties and drug dealing, an investigation has found.

It is estimated more than 120,000 flats and houses in the UK are illegally sub-let through the apartment rental site, and others like it, without property owners knowing.

Tenants can make a fortune, with some charging up to three times what they pay in rent, according to a Mail on Sunday investigation.

One tenant reportedly exploiting the site is a London-based Italian woman named Natali Rossi, who rents out 12 properties - none of which she appears to own.

Up and down the country, neighbours spoke of how anti-social behaviour and a constant flow of anonymous visitors had worsened their quality of life and the character of communities.

In one area of East London, for example, all-night parties have caused "misery", while in Edinburgh Airbnb has been branded "a plague".

In Cardiff Bay, 90 residents of an exclusive apartment block joined forces to demand the council ban Airbnb after enduring a series of disorderly parties.

Ms Rossi is understood to have been allowed to continue advertising properties on the site despite being caught unlawfully sub-letting on Airbnb.

The 37-year-old was arrested and cautioned for fraud after she failed to tell the owner of a £1.5 million Soho flat.

She was earning thousands of pounds a month by letting it out to guests through Airbnb - some of whom are alleged to have held drug-fuelled parties.

Rossi reportedly bragged to an undercover Mail On Sunday reporter that she was earning three times as much money from wealthy Saudi guests at her properties in Knightsbridge.

Airbnb, set up in 2008, allows homeowners to let spare rooms or entire properties for short periods.

Hosts advertise their property with pictures and guests pay them a nightly fee, with the website taking a cut from both.

Last night, MPs demanded action to prevent illegal sub-letting and said Airbnb owners should be licensed.

Only hosts with proper licenses could then be advertise properties on the site.

Similar regulations have been enforced in New York, Barcola, Berlin and San Francisco.

Westminster North MP Karen Buck said: "Airbnb is not what it was originally conceived for - there has been a massive shift in the model.

"It is no longer used by people who rent out their homes while on holiday. People are letting all the year round.

"There are areas where people tell me that they are now living in a branch of the hospitality industry, not a residential area.

"People use it for brothels and parties, and local communities are suffering all the turmoil that brings: lack of security, noise, nuisance, parties, rubbish.

"Properties that could provide homes for people are being removed from the rental stock because much more money can be made from short-term lets."

Airbnb told the Mail on Sunday that anti-social behaviour is extremely rare and say the vast majority of guests act respectfully.

The site also says it has a 'zero-tolerance' policy towards prostitution.

A spokesperson for Airbnb said: "These claims are utterly false and use inaccurate data to make misleading assumptions about hosts on Airbnb.

"Airbnb is the only platform to help hosts follow the rules in London and has long been the industry leader in developing clear homesharing rules - we have worked with over 500 governments around the world to help families share their homes and ensure that hosting grows responsibly and sustainably.

"The vast majority of entire homes in London on Airbnb (96%) are shared for 90 nights or fewer, and those that go over include traditional B&Bs, hotels, and those that have permission to rent for longer.

"The typical host is making £2,600 per year by sharing their home for fewer than 4 nights per month, meanwhile over 40,000 listings on other platforms go uncapped.”