This is the terrifying moment a monitor lizard rampaged through a supermarket in Thailand.

The 6ft long Godzilla-like beast emerged from a nearby forest and entered the Tookdee store in Chachoengsao province on February 24.

CCTV shows how the reptile skittered towards the entrance and barged inside, sending terrified customers fleeing while store owner Somchai Ochaklin, 59, had been sitting outside.

Jolted by the uproar, he grabbed a piece of wood and followed the large reptile as it escaped further into the back of the store.

The lizard led Somchai around in a frenzied chase, weaving between shelves before finally escaping back into the woods after 10 minutes.

The frightened customers had been standing outside the building and trooped back inside once the coast was clear.

Somchai called a wildlife rescue team to catch the lizard, but it had already disappeared in the undergrowth by the time wildlife handlers arrived.

He said: 'I heard screaming from inside the store, and when I turned to look, there was a monitor lizard running around.

'I thought it would leave right away because of the noise, but it ran straight towards an aisle of sanitary napkins. So I took a piece of wood and went inside to get rid of it.

'I think the lizard's visit might be a sign of good luck.'

Asian water monitor lizards normally live in canals, swamps, sewers and ponds in cities in 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.