A police officer has been praised for saving the life of an elderly man who fell in the river.

An emergency rescue operation swung into action on Saturday lunchtime after reports of a man in the river at Gravesend. Police, ambulance, fire and RNLI crews were called to the pier off West Street just after 1pm.

A police officer jumped from a river patrol boat to drag him to safety and he was taken to the RNLI station at Royal Terrace Pier.

Paramedics treated him at the scene before taking him to hospital.

An RNLI spokesman, said: “He was conscious but was very cold. We don’t know at this stage how long he had been in the water. Undoubtedly the police officer saved his life.”