A Richmond boatbuilder saved the life of a woman who had turned blue and was minutes from death after she plunged into the River Thames.

Mark Edwards, of Richmond Bridge Boathouses, pulled the woman out of the water in the dramatic rescue operation after the canoe she was paddling capsized - throwing her into the river.

Mr Edwards said the woman was moving very quickly down river and if she had been in the water five to 10 minutes longer she would have died.

The rescue happened at about 4pm on January 16 when a man came into Mr Edward's workshop, next to Richmond Bridge yards from the riverbank, and said he could see something or someone in the river, which was in full flood.

Mr Edwards said: "I looked out and I discovered it was someone on a canoe, drifting through the centre arch of the bridge. I grabbed the life line and life jacket and rowed out to her and pulled her out of the water.

"I rowed her to the shore and there was an ambulance in attendance. She had hypothermia and had gone blue."

The woman, who has not been identified, was taken to West Middlesex Hospital and Mr Edwards said she was very lucky.

"A few seconds later and she would have been off down river and she would have taken some finding," he said. "She was just holding on, another five to 10 minutes and she would definitely have been dead."

Mr Edwards said there were lessons to be learned from the incident but insisted the river was safe.

"I praised her for staying with her boat," he said. "She did not attempt to swim for the shore, she did the right thing. If she had tried to swim she would have had about a minute to get there, if people don't they go into panic and drown.

"With winter boating, you have to know what you are doing and if you do it's not dangerous."

  • Were you the woman who was rescued or do you know her? Call the newsdesk on 020 8329 9337.