Mechanics found a huge monitor lizard inside a customer's car engine.

Footage shows an employee removing a BMW vehicle's underbody shield while it hangs from a lift in Samut Prakan, Thailand.

As soon as the lid was removed, the reptile's half body dangled from the engine.

The crew members were covering their noses from the smell as the animal had decomposed inside.

One of the car showroom assistants, Jirapong Kotsen, said: 'The clients took the car to us complaining about the bad smell.

'We opened the undercarriage, and the smell immediately filled the room.

'It turned out to be a dead lizard stuck inside. We had to remove the body and put it in a black bag to be disposed of properly.'

The car was washed and cleaned afterwards.

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.