A monstrous python sparked alarm when it swallowed a chicken whole in front of shocked workers in Thailand.

The 8ft beast coiled around the helpless hen, suffocating it before stretching its jaws wide to devour the bird on June 18.

After the meal, the bloated serpent slithered beneath a pile of tiles and bricks at the construction site in Chai Nat to rest.

Terrified workers called snake catchers to the scene, fearing the python would attack them next.

Dramatic footage shows the volunteers battling to drag the swollen predator from a narrow gap beneath construction materials. Its belly bulged from the feast as it was shoved into a fertiliser sack.

A local worker who witnessed the python attack said: 'I was about to leave my room when I noticed a dog barking strangely, so I stepped outside to check.

'That's when I saw the python coiled around a large chicken, strangling it before swallowing it whole. I immediately called the authorities to come and catch it.'

The snake was later released into its natural habitat.

The reticulated python is found throughout Southeast Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, causing them to come into conflict with humans. The species is one of the world's largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.