This is the dramatic moment a group of brave bystanders wrestled a large python from a drainage pipe in Thailand.

The 7ft reticulated python was spotted emerging from a sewer in Hat Yai, prompting locals to catch the predator.

Footage captured by Ning Rapivrangkul shows a man, 55, firmly gripping the serpent's head while a younger pedestrian, assisted by holding the animal's tail, on December 31.

The snake can be seen coiling tightly around their hands and arms as the pair hauled it out of the narrow hole.

Despite being bitten on the hand by the python during the struggle, the older man refused to let go.

Once the snake was safely secured, the men placed it into a cloth sack and transported it to be released back into the wild.

Ning said: 'The man struggled to catch the animal by himself, so other men nearby rushed in to help him pull it out safely.'

Pythons are non-venomous constrictors known for ambushing their prey and wrapping around it to suffocate it.

These snakes often wander into residential areas in search of food, especially during the hot season when their natural habitats are disturbed.