An eye witness has described seeing an officer grab a woman to stop her falling from a bridge over the A40 near Uxbridge in a successful rescue attempt.

Metropolitan Police officers were called to reports of a woman threatening to self harm at a bridge over the motorway at Swakeleys Bridge, near Uxbridge, at 6.27pm on Wednesday (March 30).

A spokesperson said: "Officers attended and spoke with the woman, who came down at 7.46pm."

A motorist passing the scene at 6.50pm spotted a police officer dealing with the incident on the westbound side of the bridge.

He told getwestlondon : "I was driving home and saw her on the wrong side of the railings with a police officer grabbing her round the waist."

London Ambulance Service confirmed they were also called to the incident at 6.33pm, but an ambulance was not required.

Long delays and road closures

Traffic came to a standstill whilst emergency services attended the incident, which led to long delays and temporary road closures in both directions between Hillingdon Circus and Swakeleys Roundabout.

Congestion was also reported to Denham Roundabout and the Polish War Memorial Roundabout.

This incident follows two deaths in Hillingdon borough within a two-week period, which saw a man die after falling from a bridge over the A40 at Long Lane and a second death of a man falling from a multi-storey car park in Uxbridge .

If you need help, Samaritans can be contacted 24/7 on 116 123, free of charge. Always call 999 in an emergency.