A woman was rescued from the Thames last night after being dragged from Chiswick to Barnes by the exceptionally strong current.

People walking along the towpath called for help when they heard the woman, 24, in distress in the water near Chiswick Bridge last night.

Chiswick RNLI was alerted by the coastguard at 7pm and hoisted the woman from the water outside The White Hart in Barnes.

A spokesman for Chiswick RNLI said: “The alarm was raised by members of the public who were walking along the towpath and helped the crew locate the woman in the water who was in distress and calling for help.

“She was very cold and the crew were trying to warm her with blankets.

“Due to the strong current at the moment, by the time the crew located her she was a bit further down by the White Hart in Barnes.

“The fact it was early evening and passersby were able to raise the alarm was a great help.”

The woman was dropped off at Chiswick Pier, where she was looked after by the London Ambulance Service (LAS) and taken to hospital.

An LAS spokesman said: “We were called at 7.20pm to Chiswick Pier to reports of a person who had been in the water.

“We sent one ambulance crew, a duty officer and a hazardous area response team.

“Staff treated a 24-year-old woman and she was taken to Charing Cross Hospital.

“There were no obvious injuries, she was conscious and breathing and taken to hospital as a precaution.”