A cheeky monitor lizard sparked panic after taking a dip in a hotel's swimming pool which was empty due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hotel workers were cleaning the swimming pool in Krabi province, southern Thailand, when the 5ft long reptile emerged from the shadows on Monday October 12.

The hotel pool had not been used for a while because of the dwindling customers due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so the reptile appears to have claimed it for himself.

Staff said the reptile was casually floating around the calm waters next to the edge before they arrived. It is believed to have spent several days living in a playground built in the middle of the pool for children.

The terrified workers tried to scare it away with the cleaning pole, but it was too aggressive so they called the animal rescuers for help.

One of the hotel staff, Ying Fah, said: "I thought I was alone in the pool area so I was not paying attention with the surroundings. I was shocked after the lizard came out of the water."

The rescue volunteers lured it out of the pool using a long stick with a noose before pulling it out of the water.

The aggressive lizard tried to fight back but it was secure in the noose so the rescuers were able to tie its legs.

It was taken out of the hotel in a sack to be released in the woods later.