A massive monitor lizard was caught after spooking a tourist at a restaurant in Thailand.

The huge 7ft reptile crawled into the shop while the male holidaymaker and his Thai girlfriend were tucking into lunch in Udon Thani, on May 27.

The tourist screamed as the creature hid behind the drinks counter, alerting the waiters to its presence.

Reptile catchers arrived at the scene after receiving a report.

Footage shows them grabbing the beast that was squeezed in a gap between the windows and bar counter.

They carried the scaly creature out of the restaurant as shocked staff and customers recorded with their phones.

Waiter Boonrit Thatpaiboon, 22, said the tourist and his girlfriend had initially mistaken the monitor lizard for a crocodile.

He said: 'The couple were heading towards the bathroom when the foreign man started screaming 'Crocodile, crocodile!'. The woman then asked if we kept crocodiles in the restaurant.

'I was shocked because I thought it was a crocodile too, and I wondered how a crocodile could get here. I ran over to look and saw it was a water monitor, but I was still scared. I didn't dare catch it myself because it was so big, so I called the authorities to help capture and relocate it.'

Manasnan Suwannhong, a local disaster response officer, said: 'Monitor lizards are often found near canals or in forests and streams. They rarely emerge in areas where there are many people.

'Their tails are dangerous because they often use it to swat any threats that come too close, which may cause injury.'

He added the monitor lizard will be released into the wilderness, away from the area.

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.