This is the terrifying moment a woman returned from work to find a huge monitor lizard breaking into her house.

Chanathorn, a chef, had finished her shift at a restaurant when she opened the back door and heard rustling from inside.

She peeked inside and was shocked to see the giant reptile climbing through the window behind her curtain pole.

As Chanathorn began recording, the beast broke free and plunged to the ground – leaving the young woman in fear as she screamed for help.

Footage shows how Chanathorn and her mother cornered the reptile before forcing it out of the door. It then scurried away into the undergrowth in Ratchaburi, central Thailand, on Monday afternoon (Jan 25).

Chanathorn said: ‘My heart was pounding when I heard a noise coming from inside. I thought it was a burglar.

‘I was relieved but also scared when the monitor lizard came inside. I’m now checking all the windows to stop any others from breaking in.’

Thailand has a large population of Asian water monitor lizards across the country. They live around parks, canals, rivers and ponds.

Bites from the powerful jaws of a monitor lizard can tear skin, crush bones and the venom causes swelling and bleeding.