Rescuers scrambled to save a small lizard that had burrowed into a cement hole in Thailand.

Villagers called the officers after finding the lizard stuck in a crack near a water supply pipe in Nakhon Ratchasima province on April 6. The reptile was firmly wedged in the crevice, with only its tail and hind legs sticking out.

The rescuers hammered the stone and pried it loose while also gently tugging at the lizard to free it. The operation took more than an hour, but the lizard was released unharmed.

Homeowner Somchai, 45, said: 'I heard a loud noise near the faucet in front of the house. I thought someone came to open it and play with the water. When I went out to look, I found the lizard buried in the cement niche so I called the rescuers for help.'

He added the lizard may have been running around before sticking its head into the narrow opening. The officers have released the beast into the wild.

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.