A monitor lizard scurried through a school sports hall, sending students and teachers fleeing in panic.

Footage shows the 5ft reptile running across the smooth floor of the arena in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.

Teachers believe the animal wandered in from a nearby canal and startled youngsters when it raided the facility during an event.

When it reached the side of the court, everyone scrambled to leave before it tried to escape through a door.

Soragrai Chittrong, one of the university event's organisers, said: 'The monitor lizard appeared during a volleyball match and scared everyone.

'It was during the Nakhon Si Thammarat Provincial Administrative Organisation Sports Competition of Walailak University.'

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.