This is the amusing moment a monkey was caught on a surveillance camera breaking into a shop to steal food.

The mischievous primate sneaked into the closed store in search of snacks in Chonburi, Thailand.

CCTV footage shows the macaque clambering down the wall before leaping onto the upper rack where boxes of products were stored on August 26.

The animal can be seen rummaging through the items and scattering them across the shelf and snack display.

The store owner said: 'When I returned and opened the shop, I saw that some of my products were scattered everywhere. So, I checked the camera footage to see who it did, since there were no signs that the door had been forcefully opened.'

Monkeys are common in the region and are known to snatch food and even break into homes in search of meals.

Thailand is grappling with an overpopulation of macaques that invade cities, raid homes, and harass tourists. Officials have launched sterilisation and relocation drives to curb the growing threat.