Feeling frisky? Zurich's new sex drive-in can help!

Swiss city Zurich unveiled a sex drive-in on Thursday which local authorities claim will enable them to keep closer tabs on prostitution, a year after voters backed the plan.

Due to be opened officially in a ceremony on 26 August, the nine so-called "sex boxes" are located in a former industrial zone in the west of the metropolis, Zurich city hall said in a statement.

The site will be open daily from 19:00 to 05:00, and only to drivers, who must be alone in their vehicle if they want to pass the gate, News 24 reported.

Echoing a fast-food drive-in, they will have to follow a marked route along which up to 40 prostitutes will be stationed.

Once they have negotiated a rate, they will drive to one of the nine car-wash style boxes to have sex.

The boxes will be equipped with alarms, allowing the prostitutes to make rapid contact with police if they are in danger.

With over 1.8 million people, the Zurich conurbation makes up almost a quarter of Switzerland's population, and the city itself has long been home to a red-light district.

But with local residents fed up of prostitutes and clients plying the streets, notably along the riverside Sihlquai, the authorities decided to try to shift the sex trade from the city centre.

In addition, officials have said that they want to ensure the safety of prostitutes, stem trafficking by crime networks and reduce the role of the underground sex trade.