Firefighters caught a jumbo monitor lizard in a family's home and released it into a river.

At least six volunteers responded to a resident's home when they reported that a massive 6ft-long reptile scurrying around their house in Samu Songkram province, Thailand, on June 18.

Footage shows the rescuers flashing a light on the large creature hiding behind a chair and cabinets. The lizard did not move but threw a fit wriggling in the living room when its neck was secured with a noose.

Five men helped each other restrain the animal, two pinning it down with a pole while the others held its tail so it didn't hit them.

Rescuer Witoon Keawpiharn from Petch Samut Fire Training Unit said: 'The lizard was old. No one could get near it, and everyone was scared of it.'

The heavy monitor lizard weighed 40kg so they wheeled the creature on a pushcart to the river.

It was released and swam to its habitat while the rescuers bid it goodbye. It was unhurt.

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.