Nine rowers from Gravesend Rowing Club had to be rescued from the River Thames near Tilbury yesterday lunchtime after their boat broke in two.

Gravesend RNLI lifeboat crew pulled the rowers from the water around 1pm and took them to the Royal Terrace Pier where they were treated by paramedics.

One of the crew was taken to hospital with mild hypothermia.

The vessel got into difficulties off the coast of Essex, on Saturday afternoon after it snapped in two in rough conditions.

The Gravesend RNLI was joined by the London RNLI crew and they, with the help of a tug boat which had seen the people in distress, recovered the people from the water.

The tug boat had managed to pull five people out of the water when the RNLI crews arrived.

A spokesman said: “They were all very lucky to be seen by the tug boat and it happened off the coast at Coal House Point, which is on the Essex side of the river but opposite the Gravesend area.

“Three ambulances met us when we got them back to shore and one young woman was thought to be suffering from hypothermia.

“We got back to station at about 3pm.”