A woman was taken to hospital after jumping into the Thames from Kingston bridge early on Saturday morning.

Police, including a helicopter, were called to the bridge at 1.39am by the woman’s friend.

Paramedics took the woman, believed to be in her 20s, to West Middlesex Hospital.

Lifeguards have repeatedly warned of the dangers of the Thames at Kingston, with riverside revellers liking the look of the river on a hot summer's day.

There have been five deaths or near deaths in the past few years, according to a The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents backed review.

These include Kingston University student Niall Pawsey, 20, who disappeared below the surface of the water in April 2011, after jumping into the river near the Kingston Mill pub where he had been drinking.