A British backpacker and her boyfriend were shocked when they found a snake strangling a tokay gecko on their hotel balcony in Thailand.

Victoria and Dan had just woken up when they were greeted by the sight of the reptiles locked in a fierce battle outside their room on the island of Koh Lanta in Krabi province on February 23.

The green snake had wrapped itself around its prey and was crushing it to death while the lizard was immobile, apparently having resigned itself to defeat.

As the pair were tangled up together, Dan took a coat hanger and flung them from the balcony.

Victoria said: 'We woke up to a fight between a snake and gecko on our balcony. We did not know what to do, then Dan got a coathanger and flung it off the balcony.

'We saw the snake slithering away, so hopefully they're both all good and healthy and living a peaceful life.'

Tokay geckos are one of the favourite types of prey of green tree snakes. They kill them by strangulation then swallow them hole.