A family returned home and found a monkey raiding their fridge.

The primate clambered into the apartment while the owners had popped out to shops in Chonburi, eastern Thailand.

Seizing its opportunity for a free meal, the monkey opened the fridge and rummaged through the food.

Mobile phone footage shows the monkey choosing from the available snacks before grabbing a carton of orange juice.

The animal then punched a hole on the carton and drank the juice that had spilt on the ground.

It finished the refreshing drink then disappeared back through the open doors into nearby trees next to the apartment block.

The filmer said: ''I thought there was someone in my room but it was a monkey. It had opened the fridge and made a terrible mess, knocking food and drinks onto the floor.''

Thailand has a large and aggressive population of wild monkeys, which it has taken steps to control with mass sterilisation programs.