A German pensioner was arrested over a drunken rampage at a market in Thailand.

The elderly man, whose name was not disclosed by police, allegedly hurled vendors' property before collapsing in Chonburi province, in the early hours of December 23.

Police found him unconscious on a black-and-white sofa near the Bang Saray Market area after residents reported the outburst.

He had scattered food cart items on a storefront, and had allegedly inflicted wounds on himself.

Police took him to the Sattahip district station for legal action.

Police Captain Rakkiat Phongprayoon said today: 'It is unclear whether he was drunk. This is the second time he's had a violent outburst, and he was previously released. He used to have a Thai wife.

‘This morning, he was still being held in a detention cell. He has a Thai wife who resides in this area.'

Police Lieutenant Nawathorn Phuwasetthaworn added: ‘He is over 60 years old.

‘We still do not know his name because he speaks incoherently, and he is still in the holding cell.

‘We learned from locals residing near the scene that he is a German national who has often been in the area and has caused disturbances before.

‘He is homeless and currently does not have a family. He previously stayed in the Phlu Ta Luang area but had a problem with his landlord and later stayed here, although we do not know when or how.

‘He was intoxicated from alcohol, and we are waiting for him to speak coherently before conducting a drug test, as he did not cooperate.

‘As for the damage, the victim, a salad shop owner, requested 10,000 baht in compensation for damaged cooking equipment, so we charged him with property damage.'

Residents said the German man was allegedly a repeat offender who becomes aggressive and harms himself when drunk. He was described as 'normal' when he is sober and compensates victims for damages.