Tourists watched in awe when a snake dropped down from a coffee shop ceiling and ate a lizard.

Ann Murison had been sitting in a cafe on holiday in Hua Hin, Thailand when the green vine snake slithered down from the roof.

The reptile wrapped itself around Ann's brown bamboo chair as it pounced on a tokay gecko - hanging upside down and writhing around while devouring it.

Ann called over passing Australian tourist Justin Vaughan and his wife who was heard saying: ''Oh my gosh, that is unbelievable, how's it going to eat that? Ugh, I'm outta here.''

The snake grappled with the lizard for more than ten minutes before squeezing the rest of its body down its throat and disappearing into nearby bushes.

Justin said the serpent ''was worried about his dinner'' after seeing the group of tourists gathered round. But after the tussle, the lizard had been ''completely devoured''.

Ann, from Turriff, Aberdeenshire, added: ''We were in a coffee shop across from our apartment when the snake slid from the roof and got the lizard.

''The poor lizard was just sitting on the wall minding its own business. We watched it in awe for about 10 mins. It's something you don’t see every day when you're on holiday.''

The green vine snake - scientific name ahaetulla nasuta - is found in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.