This is the moment a man found rigid with cold and “frozen” to a houseboat’s mooring chain was plucked to safety by lifeboat crews.
The man in his 30s was found clinging onto the chain on the boat moored in the River Thames just after midnight yesterday.
Police and the London Ambulance Service were called to the scene close to St Mary’s Church, Battersea, but struggled to reach the man and enlisted the help of lifeboat crews from Chiswick.
Dramatic footage shows the team guided to the scene by a helicopter light.
They then lift the man out of the water before transferring him to a slipway by the church, where he was taken to hospital by the LAS.
RNLI helmsman Gary Tiller said: “He had clearly been in the water sometime as he was very cold with his arms and legs locked around the chain as if he was frozen to it.
“As a result it was quite tricky getting him into the lifeboat.
“Although the emergency services were present on the shore they were unable to reach the casualty. His position meant he could only be rescued by boat. The whole crew is very pleased we were able to save this man.”
The RNLI said the man’s injuries were not life threatening. It is unknown how he ended up in the water.
