Police caught a huge Godzilla-like monitor lizard hiding in family's ceiling in Thailand.

Officers were called after the reptile was heard screeching and scratching around inside the property in Bangkok, Thailand, on Tuesday February 15.

The weight of the beast had caused cracks in the plasterboard. But it was the scary sight of one its claws poking through the gap that was too much for the residents and they called the emergency services.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Atthaphon Chansod arrived and used a sickle to tear open the ceiling so they could get to the angry reptile.

Footage shows how the lizard fell to the ground and it was cornered by the cops. They held it down with a wooden pallet and a step ladder while animal handlers strapped its limbs to prevent it from attacking them.

The policeman said: 'This creature was more aggressive than a lot of the criminals we have to deal with. I don't want to deal with too many lizards as they're so dangerous.'

House owner Sirirat said: 'We thought it was just a cat making noise in the ceiling but it sounded too heavy and then we saw its foot. It was a big monitor lizard.'

The reptile was carried away and released into a canal away from the homes.

Asian water monitor lizards live in canals and ponds in large cities in Thailand where they feed on fish, snakes, frogs and scraps of food left by humans. They are aggressive when threatened and have a mildly venomous bite which sometimes carries harmful bacteria.