Throngs of tourists looked on in fear as a man jumped into the Thames by the London Eye to save a woman.

The 43-year-old man plunged into the murky depths after noticing a woman in the water just below the iconic wheel last night (August 4). He helped the 53-year-old woman to stay afloat.

London Ambulance Service swiftly arrived and called the police at 9:15pm after realising they would not be able to reach the pair who were clinging onto a pier support under the Eye, near Westminster Bridge.

Marine Police Unit officers arrived but the boat could not get close enough so a male officer braved the water and swam towards them, managing to pull the woman back to the boat before swimming back to rescue the man.

After docking at the London Eye Pier the woman was taken in an ambulance to hospital where she remains in a stable condition.

The man was luckily uninjured and was thanked for his bravery by officers and given some dry clothes.

Sergeant Yvonne Saunderson from the Marine Policing Unit, said: "The quick actions of not only our officers, but also the man who went in to help the woman, ensured that no one was seriously injured. 

"His bravery should be commended, but we would advise that members of the public call police rather than jump into the Thames. No one should swim in the Thames no matter what the circumstances."

The incident happened less than an hour before Londoners turned off their lights for an hour to commemorate the start of the First World War and a beam shot up from behind the House of Lords.

Do you know who the fearless rescuer was? Email alix.culbertson@trinitymirror.com or contact us on Twitter via @getwestlondon.