A cheeky monitor lizard entered a local government city hall giving office workers a fright.

The reptile came from a the building's garden and casually walked through the door of the busy office in Pathum Thani province, Thailand on March 14.

Footage shows the creature attempting to escape under a cabinet while a member of staff dragged it out on its tail. The other employees fled the scene while the animal was being evacuated.

Onlooker Kittipat Khaongoen said: 'The animal didn't look scared at people. It wanted to go inside the room.'

The lizard was later released in a nearby canal while no one was hurt nor damaged in the building.

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.