Police have praised two brothers, who were involved in a dramatic rescue mission after an elderly woman was stuck in the River Thames.

Archie, 24, and Bradley Dixon, 26, had been fishing for a matter of minutes on Sunday morning at Abbey Meadows in Abingdon, when they heard someone shouting in the water.

The brothers then immediately jumped into action to help the woman.

Read again: Brothers save elderly woman stuck in River Thames

Younger brother Archie, who lives in Didcot, said: “I chucked the life rope to her but she was just scared for her life.

“I then jumped in and we both managed to lift her out and to the side.

“There was another bloke on the side of the bank and straight away he called the emergency services, which literally arrived within minutes and took over.

“They said to us that we’d saved her life, it’s not every day you find someone in the river.

“Police told us this morning that she’d made it through the night, which was good to hear.”

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Reflecting on the incident, Mr Dixon said that it was very surreal.

“It was early morning and the sun was glowing off the water so we couldn’t see very well and we thought it was a buoy in the water,” he said.

“Then we heard her shouting ‘help me’ so that’s when I tried the rope.

“When I jumped in, it was that cold it took my breath away.”

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Chief inspector Matt Bullivant, from Thames Valley Police, said: “I would like to offer my thanks to the two young men who came to the aid of the woman who was in distress.

“Their swift actions no doubt saved the woman from more serious injuries, and their actions are to be commended.

“She was assessed at the scene and taken to hospital, and thankfully, she is now safe and well.

“I would also like to remind the public that you should not put your own lives in danger by carrying out such actions, and should always call 999 in these circumstances, which these two men did.

“I gather the two men used rescue aids that were by the river in this rescue, and it is clear that they both made informed decisions around their own safety, did not take any ill-conceived risks, and thanks to their actions, the incident was resolved safely.”

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A spokesperson for Oxfordshire County Council said three fire appliances were mobilised just after 8am and attended from Abingdon and Kidlington, including the specialist water rescue team.

A similar rescue took place last month in Abingdon when a woman fell into the River Ock and got stuck in the mud.

Luckily, PCSO Ali Blood of Abingdon was out on cycle patrol when she spotted the woman submerged up to her waist.

Further officers responded to support Ms Blood, who ditched her boots and waded in to the river.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service crews from Abingdon got the woman out of the water and South Central Ambulance Service attended the scene and gave her medical attention.