A homeowner was shocked when a 20ft python raided his house in central Thailand.

Thananat Theeradechtaweeporn, 60, discovered the massive beast thrashing in a net trap he had set in his home in Saraburi province on Sunday.

Footage shows the resident and animal rescuers hauling the mammoth reptile out of the property. They stretched it out across the street to measure its length.

Thananat said the python had been lurking near his home for two years. It recently devoured a pet cat he adopted in August, prompting the local authorities to set traps around his house.

He said: 'Two weeks after I adopted the kitten, the snake appeared beside my house. I was eating with my family when I suddenly heard the cat crying. I switched on the light and saw the python strangling the kitten. I was shocked and tried to grab the poor thing, but I couldn't save it.

'After that, I spent a week setting up net traps. On the day we caught the python, my daughter heard a loud metallic noise, so I checked the CCTV camera behind the house and saw the python caught in the net, trying to break free. I called the rescue team to help me catch it.'

The python was later released into the wilderness, away from the residential area.

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.