THREE boaters who sparked an emergency services rescue after getting stuck under a bridge on the Thames have said they are just glad no one was hurt.

Former Royal Navy sub lieutenant Barry Taylor, his wife Elisabeth and her sister Ulrika Tham had to be rescued from the boat after it got wedged under a bridge at Clifton Hampden.

The drama unfolded at about 10am on Tuesday. 

Mr Taylor, 88, said a faulty thruster was to blame.

He explained: "We knew the river was up a bit and there was a strong current so we thought we'd better go through the bridge slowly, relying on the bow and stern thrusters.

"But, at the vital moment, the stern thruster didn't work so we started to move sideways."

Oxford Mail:

Mr Taylor said he had made a deliberate movement to avoid the boat getting damaged, and the 34ft launch ended up wedged under one of the bridge arches.

A villager who saw the crash called 999 and within minutes three fire engines and an ambulance were crowding the narrow village roads.

Firemen helped the trio off the boat and they went to the nearby Barley Mow pub to wait for their vessel to be recovered.

Mr Taylor said: "The emergency services were amazing - three fire engines arrived and they all rushed into action, it was really very impressive."

He said the boat has only sustained minor external damage - lucky as it was borrowed from Mr Taylor's son in Marlow on Monday.

After they were pulled out of their jam by an Environment Agency tug boat from Abingdon, the friends said they were planning to return the boat to Marlow and make their way home to Glastonbury on dry land.

Firefighters from Abingdon, Slade in Oxford and Didcot attended.

Watch manager Kev Kerry, of Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue, said: "A boat was in the river requiring rescue. There were two ladies and a gentleman.

"It was stuck under the bridge and wasn't taking on water so no immediate action was needed.

"We launched a rescue boat from Kidlington and moved the persons from the boat."