A 12-year-old boy had a lucky escape after climbing underneath a footbridge and getting stuck above the fast-flowing Thames.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) sent a boat from its Teddington station to rescue the youngster after he got into difficulty at about 4.40pm on Saturday, June 16.

The boy, who lives nearby, was thought to have been messing about with some friends on the bridge between the lock island and the Teddington mainland.

A spokesman from the RNLI said: “He was 5ft from the water and 10ft either side from the shore or any mooring - he was stuck with no way to get to the shore.

“Apparently the river was like a train at the time because of all the recent rain water, so it was a pretty strong tide.

“We popped him in the boat and took him to the side - it was a near miss for him.

“We know kids will play but it could have been a very different story, he was lucky to have survived.”