Locals caught a huge monitor lizard that ran inside a family's home in central Thailand.

Wildlife volunteers and residents found the massive 10ft beast hiding in a corner of the kitchen in Ang Thong province on March 8.

They dragged the lizard out onto the street, with curious neighbours gawping at the reptile's massive size.

Despite struggling and baring its fangs, the reptile was easily subdued and bound with rope. Animal rescuers said it weighed around 60 kilogrammes.

It was later released into the nearby Chao Phraya River.

The female homeowner, 33, said: 'I don't know where the lizard came from. I suddenly found it lurking in the kitchen. I thought it was a crocodile at first because of how big it was.'

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.