Passersby raced to rescue a young woman after she jumped from Rochester Bridge last night.

Police and ambulance crews were called at around 7.30pm to reports of a woman in the river near the A2 bridge.

Witnesses say she jumped despite attempts to talk her down from the bridge, but was rescued after they got the attention of two nearby speedboats.

Police said officers and South East Coast Ambulance Service went to the scene where a member of the public had brought the woman to the bank in a dinghy.

She was taken to a local hospital where she was handed to health care professionals for medical attention.