A monitor lizard tried to escape as a worker battled to pull it out from the bottom of a hotel swimming pool.

The reptile jumped into the drained pool and was stuck before cleaners found it in the morning in Surat Thani province, Thailand, on November 22.

Footage shows the animal scurrying across and splashing water while an employee tried to catch it with a net on a pole.

It was eventually cornered and caught before being released back into its habitat.

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.