A hapless monitor lizard has to be rescued after getting stuck in railings.

The 5ft-long reptile had been hunting in undergrowth in Chachoengsao, Thailand, on Monday night when it tried to crawl through the metal bars.

But after poking through its head the monitor lizard quickly discovered its body was too fat - and found itself wedged between the railings as local children looked on.

Resident Ploy Sato, 16, said: ‘’There are a lot of monitor lizards in the water but this is the first time we have seen one stuck in the metal bars.

‘’I think that it had been catching too much food. Now it was too fat to get back into the pond.’'

Chachoengsao Rescue Team arrived at 5.30pm local time and used hydraulic pliers to free the creature which ran out causing nearby children to scream.

The lizard slid back into the pond and swam away.

Rescues said they would leave the railings bent out of shape so the lizard could come and go freely in the future.

A hapless monitor lizard has to be rescued after getting stuck in railings.

The 5ft-long reptile had been hunting in undergrowth in Chachoengsao, Thailand, on Monday night when it tried to scamper through the metal bars.

But after poking through it’s head the monitor lizard quickly discovered its body was too fat - and found itself wedged between the railings as local children looked on.

Resident Ploy Sato, 16, said: ‘’There are a lot of monitor lizards in the water but this is the first time we have seen one stuck in the metal bars.

‘’I think that it had been catching too much food. Now it was too fat to get attack into the pond.’'

Chachoengsao Rescue Team arrived at 5.30pm and used hydraulic pliers to free the creature which ran out causing nearby children to scream.

The lizard slid back into the pond and swam away.

Rescues said they would leave the railings bent out of shape so the lizard could come and go freely in the future.