Cooling dip goes wrong as woman needs to be rescued by fire crews in Tower Hamlets

Deciding it was too hot to stay on dry land, one woman had to be rescued by firefighters after jumping into a pond and being unable to climb out.

Thanks to the extreme highs of the recent heatwave, people up and down the country have chosen to cool off in open waters, sometimes with disastrous consequences.

Luckily a passer-by spotted the woman in the pond close to Saffron Avenue, Blackwall, Tower Hamlets, at around 6pm on Saturday and called emergency services.

Millwall crew manager Jake Kearsarge said: “She had gone in for a swim because it was too hot but was unable to get out because the banks of the man-made pond were too steep.

“The water temperature was still quite cold, despite the heat, and was at least 12C.”

Crews used a ladder to reach the woman enabling her to climb out of her watery predicament unharmed, except for a slight chill and a tinge of embarrassment.