A man who woke up to find his garden trampled was shocked when his CCTV revealed an unlikely thief.

An elephant had smashed through a metal gate while looking for food in Chonburi, central Thailand.

Footage from the early hours of Wednesday morning (February 13) shows how the elephant knocked over the gate then trampled across plants.

The hungry thief then stomped over to a row of banana trees where it plucked the fruit from the branches.

It then walked out back in the same direction after he had satisfied his appetite.

Rangsan Kaewpraserd, 34, said he was baffled when he noticed the mess in the garden – but used his security cameras to find the culprit.

He said: ''I will have to buy a new gate now. My insurance does not cover elephant robbers. This time I’ll think of a way to keep the elephant out.

''There are some banana plants so I’m worried they will come back for more. They have successfully stolen food once, so maybe they will remember and try again.''

School teacher Rangsan reported the incident to the village chief as he was afraid that his family or students would be injured if the invader returned.

Pisit Sirisawadnukul, the Nhong Yhai district chief, informed the officers of Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary to monitor the area.

The chief said: ''We need to make sure that the wild animals stay in the forest. But if they come again, our people need to be aware and take steps to keep everyone safe.''

A man who woke up to find his garden had been trampled was shocked when his CCTV revealed an unlikely thief - a giant ELEPHANT.

The powerful jumbo smashed through a metal gate while looking for food in Chonburi, central Thailand.

Footage from the early hours of Wednesday (13/02) morning shows how the elephant knocked over the gate then trampled across plants.

The hungry thief then stomped over to a row of banana tress where it plucked the fruit from the branches.

It then walked out back in the same direction after he had satisfied his appetite.

Rangsan Kaewpraserd, 34, said he was baffled when he noticed the mess in the garden – but used his secuirty cameras to find the culprit.

He said: ‘’I will have to buy a new gate now. My insurance does not cover elephant robbers. This time I’ll think of a way to keep the elephant out.

‘’There are some banana plants so I’m worried they will come back for more. They have successfully stole food once, so maybe they will remember and try again.’’

School teacher Rangsan reported to the incident to the village chief as he was afraid that his family or students would be injured if the invader returned.

Pisit Sirisawadnukul, the Nhong Yhai district chief, informed the officers of Khao Ang Rue Nai Wildlife Sanctuary to monitor the area.

The chief said: “We need to make sure that the wild animals stay in the forest. But if they some again, our people need to be aware and take steps to keep everyone safe.”