Fire crews have rescued an elderly man from deep mud near Battersea Bridge.

The man, believed to be 79-years-old, was trapped "knee-deep" in thick mud after getting into difficulty on Friday morning.

He was eventually rescued by firefighters who used inflatable "mud paths", attached to the brigade's own Fire Boat, to extract him out of the mud.

Once on board he was transferred to an ambulance waiting at Chelsea Pier.

Friday morning's freezing temperatures meant the man was suffering from hypothermia by the time he was rescued.

The man was evidently suffering from the effects of the cold and was taken to Chelsea & Westminster Hospital as a priority with suspected hypothermia.

The Fire Brigade were called just before 10.30am and the pensioner had been rescued within 40 minutes.

Julian Spooner, Station Manager at Battersea Fire Station, who was at the scene, said: “It appears the man went for a walk along the river bank and then got stuck in the mud.

"I urge people to take care if they are walking along the river as there are a lot of unforeseen dangers.

"Crews are well trained in water rescue and acted quickly to free him from the mud.”

The emergency services were keen to warn the public about the dangers of walking along the banks of the River Thames.

The mud is soft thick and very cold at this time of year, the river is also tidal with very fast moving water and the public are advised to be extremely careful.