Heroic pair commandeer dinghy to rescue woman drowning in Thames

Two heroic nightclub managers commandeered a dinghy to pull a woman drowning in the Thames to safety.

Mark Byford and Luis Beer were alerted to a woman standing on the wrong side of the rails on Kingston Bridge in Kingston upon Thames by customers and staff, reports the Surrey Comet.

Mr Byford said the pair, who work at the Viper Rooms, slowly approached her.

But when the police arrived, she jumped in.

The trained lifeguard and Mr Luis threw ropes to her but she did not grab them, so they got into a dinghy they spotted sitting in a nearby boathouse.

The woman is now receiving hospital care following the rescue in the early hours of Sunday morning.