A monitor lizard sparked panic when it dragged a chair across a restaurant in Thailand.

The 4ft-long reptile rampaged through the eatery by the roadside, passing under one of the red plastic seats in Chaiyaphum, Thailand on May 24.

Footage shows the monitor lizard lugging the chair over its body to the side of the dining area. It finally found a hole to slip through on the fence, leaving the furniture behind, before entering the back kitchen.

The animal crawled through the narrow area where the restaurant's dishes were being washed and exited towards the back door.

Barbecue and hotpot restaurant owner Itsaraporn Chaisorn said: 'My staff chased it into the back area to prevent it from going onto the front road. It continued through the back area until it exited through the back door into the forest.'

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.