A family were shocked after returning from a holiday to find wild monkeys taking over their house.

The residents left last Friday morning (September 4) for a long weekend. However, they were shocked when they returned on Monday afternoon (September 7) to find dozens of macaques climbing over their property and car.

The primates were rummaging through bins and trying to climb inside the two-storey house in Songkhla province, southern Thailand.

One critter had successfully torn off rope being used to tie down bin lids and was gnawing through a shampoo bottle.

Wildlife rangers arrived to scare away the monkeys, which live in the nearby Tangkuan Hill, a tourist attraction known for its wild animals.

One of the neighbours said that the monkeys have been venturing into residential properties as there is a shortage of food.

Monthira Sun said: "We need to accept that we cannot drive them away all the time. We just need to lock the properties well before leaving."

Officials who attended the scene said the monkeys had tried to get inside the property but the owner had ''secured the windows and doors'' before leaving for the weekend.