Dog owners have been warned about the dangers of attempting to rescue their pets after a lifeboat crew was called to save a stranded woman.

The Royal National Lifeboat Insitution (RNLI) released footage of the rescue as it urged pet owners not to risk their own lives.

The video shows a lifeboat from Chiswick RNLI helping the woman, who was up to her knees in the River Thames near Wandsworth on Sunday, September 9.

She had tried to retrieve her labrador from the water while clinging to a ladder, before the lifeboat crew arrived and pulled both to safety.

The woman clings to a ladder (Photo - RNLI/PA Wire)

The unnamed woman was uninjured, the RNLI said.

Helmsman Glen Monroe said: "The woman was unable to help her dog back up the ladder, and the shore-side firefighters were unable to get to her.

"Our attendance prevented this situation from deteriorating.

"We always advise owners not to follow their dog into the water and put themselves at risk but to dial 999 and ask for the coastguard.

A lifeboat crew had to be called in to rescue the woman (Photo - RNLI/PA Wire)

"We can reach a distressed dog very quickly and return it safely to its owner."

The incident was the seventh dog rescue in the area this year, according to the RNLI.