Crazed Godzilla monitor lizard destroys shop shelves in Thailand

This is the terrifying moment a crazed Godzilla monitor lizard destroyed shelves of food in a grocery shop in Thailand.

The 4ft long reptile entered the shop to shelter from the rain, casually walking through the entrance in Nonthaburi province on May 30.

A man at the checkout was stunned and stood on top of his chair out as the animal continued making its way through the shelves looking for something to eat.

CCTV footage shows the rampaging reptile clambering across the shelves and knocking over bottles of sauces and packets of instant noodles while searching for food.

Shocked shop assistant Nitat Noisung said: 'I'm not sure where the monitor lizard came from but it might have wandered in from a canal near the garden.

'I stood on the chair because I was surprised at how big the animal was.

It might have been dangerous.

I'm relieved there were no customers in the shop at the time as it would have scared them.'

After failing to find something edible on the top shelves, the lizards moved to the lower shelves until concerned neighbours arrived to help catch it.

One of the men used a top to loop around the reptile's neck before grabbing its tail and dragged it out of the shop.

The animal then disappeared into the nearby forest.

Nitat said that the animal went into nearby undergrowth and was unharmed after the ordeal.

He added: 'I hope it doesn't come back.

I don't want to clean up the damage again.'

In April, a massive monitor lizard wandered in off the street and climbed over food shelves in a 7-Eleven store in Nonthaburi province.

Staff and customers hid behind the counter while the beast climbed onto shelves and tossed several cartons of milk onto the ground.

Asian water monitor lizards live in canals and ponds in large cities in Thailand where they feed on fish, snakes, frogs and scraps of food left by humans.

They are aggressive when threatened and have a mildly venomous bite which sometimes carries harmful bacteria.

They also use their long, powerful tail to attack threats.