Two rowers were rescued from a nippy River Thames after their boat capsized when one of their oars caught a navigation buoy near Strand on the Green.
The pair were tipped into the cold water and struggled to hold on to the upturned hull as they desperately called out for help, on Tuesday December 1 morning.
Someone living in the area spotted the two and raised the alarm with a 999 call, and the Coastguard sent Chiswick RNLI lifeboat crew to the rescue.
Read More:Young rowers rescued after boat capsized into River Thames
The two men managed to get to the bank where the crew arrived minutes later and gave them blankets to warm up as they were wet and shivering from being in the water.
A four-person volunteer crew included actress Holly Jackson Walters who was a drama student at Goldsmiths College where one of the rescued rowers is a student.
The team also recovered the craft onto the lifeboat and returned the scullers and their rowing boat back to Putney Town Rowing Club.
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Helmsman Andy Mayo said: “Although the air temperature was mild for the first of December the men became cold very quickly in the chilly water and then being in a strong breeze in waterlogged clothes.
“Fortunately they followed the advice of holding onto their boat to give them some buoyancy and there was someone nearby to raise the alarm.
“There was no access to the towpath from where they ended up, once again showing the need for the RNLI search and rescue service on the Thames.”
