A man was plucked to safety from the River Thames after being dragged three miles in floodwater by his drifting boat.

The 56-year-old, a non-swimmer, fell from his boat at Clifton Hampden just before 7pm last night.

Both he and the boat were swept away and he was last seen being pulled down river, clinging to a line hanging from the side. Crews searched up and down river, before heading for Days Lock at Little Wittenham after deciding this was the one place where a rescue might be attempted.

The man's boat was eventually caught in a safety line just 25m from the weir at the lock - three miles downstream of where he had fallen in.

A fire service spokesman said: "It was fortunate that the boat was located. Due to the fast current and the proximity of the weir it was not possible to make a rescue attempt from the riverbank."

The man was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford for treatment.