This is the terrifying moment a Godzilla-like monitor lizard rampaged through a university canteen before charging at scared students.

The hungry beast emerged from bushes inside the campus while youngsters were buying their lunch in Phitsanulok, central Thailand, on Monday afternoon.

Searching for its own midday snack, the ferocious 5ft long reptile darted towards the counters dishing out rice and noodles.

Footage shows how panicked students looked on in horror before the creature emerged from under a silver trolley and ran straight at them.

Shocked onlooker Hee Seung said: 'Monitor lizards don't normally come into the school canteen. If we see them outside, they are never as aggressive as this one.'

Teachers emerged and ushered the reptile away from the outdoor dining area onto a nearby path. They said it is believed to have emerged from a nearby canal.

Hee added: 'I hope it doesn't come back again.'

Asian water monitor lizards normally live in canals, swamps, sewers and ponds in cities across Thailand. They feed on fish, snakes, frogs and scraps of food left by humans.

The reptiles are aggressive when threatened and have a mildly venomous bite which sometimes carries harmful bacteria. The Godzilla-like reptiles are also a protected species in the country so their population thrives.