Residents are pleading for help after a group of unruly wild monkeys began attacking their village - with a seven-year-old girl being bitten by the creatures.

Distressed locals are desperate to have hundreds of long-tailed macaques removed following a spate of attacks on people and homes in Ratchaburi province, Thailand.

They claim the primates are destroying roofs, furniture, and even stealing from shops, so they have resorted to staying inside their properties which has left the village looking like a ghost town.

When a seven-year-old girl was bitten by one of the monkeys they finally sought help from authorities but local officials told them they could only take action once the animal control budget had been received.

Noppadon Sakchai, one of the villagers, said: 'We were granted this royal property about 50 years ago to live in. There were only two monkeys then but now there are hundreds.

'It is impossible to live safely and in peace. The monkeys are too aggressive.'

To prevent the monkeys from taking over a school, parents have set a security system around the perimeter as they fear their children could be attacked.

The villager added that the monkeys could become even more uncontrollable during the mating season in summer.

He said: 'We are afraid that the mating season in the summer could be more problematic because they will all come out and rampage through the village again.'

Authorities have yet to take action on the villagers' complaints.

Government officials have tried to control the country's monkey population without success. In 2020, large numbers of monkeys were sterilised in various regions after their numbers spiralled out of control during the coronavirus lockdown, with well-meaning locals feeding them sugary drinks.

Environmental officer Narongporn Daudduem said the department has a long-term plan to build a sanctuary in neighbouring Lopburi province, which could provide a model for solutions in other towns, but plans are often met with resistance from some of the residents who don’t want the monkeys living near them.