A huge monitor lizard was caught after crawling into a car engine to escape the blistering heat in Thailand.

The 4ft long reptile was seen by a security guard scurrying across the car park in Pathum Thani, central Thailand last Sunday (17/05) afternoon.

It darted under the vehicle to find some shade as temperatures outside passed 35C.

However, when the driver Anong Chanthajorn, 51, returned to his car to drive home he was alarmed by the scratching around from inside the engine.

He opened the bonnet and found the lizard inside before calling rescue volunteers.

They struggled for 30 minutes to remove the reptile, which had lodged itself between the engine parts.

The security guard Somchai Charoensomaryu, 47, said he was staking out the car waiting for the lizard to emerge.

He said: "I was walking around the parking lot, periodically patrolling the area then I saw the lizard run under the car. I watched closely in case it came back out, then I told the driver when he returned.''

A huge monitor lizard was caught after crawling into a car engine to escape the blistering heat in Thailand.

The 4ft long reptile was seen by a security guard scurrying across the car park in Pathum Thani, central Thailand last Sunday (17/05) afternoon.

It darted under the vehicle to find some shade as temperatures outside passed 35C.

However, when the driver Anong Chanthajorn, 51, returned to his car to drive home he was alarmed by the scratching around from inside the engine.

He opened the bonnet and found the lizard inside before calling rescue volunteers.

They struggled for 30 minutes to remove the reptile, which had lodged itself between the engine parts.

The security guard Somchai Charoensomaryu, 47, said he was staking out the car waiting for the lizard to emerge.

He said: "I was walking around the parking lot, periodically patrolling the area then I saw the lizard run under the car. I watched closely in case it came back out, then I told the driver when he returned.''