A naval officer was in danger of being crushed between two ships when she fell overboard into the River Thames.

The lieutenant was being transferred from HMS Westminster to a smaller cruise liner in a disembarking exercise near Gravesend Town Pier.

But when she slipped from a pilot ladder suspended between the frigate and smaller vessel, she fell several feet into the choppy water between them.

A crew from Gravesend RNLI lifeboat, which was on stand-by during the exercise, had to haul the woman from the water before handing her over to ambulance crews, who treated her for shock.

Second helmsman Ian Smith said gusty winds and a two metre swell in the river made the exercise more dangerous. It was abandoned after the mishap on Monday.

He added: "It was quite nasty out there and it could have been a very serious incident, but the duty helmsman, Peter Birthright, did a fantastic job in difficult conditions."