A quick-thinking couple who saved the lives of two canoeists by hauling them from a raging stretch of the Thames, tonight urged people to respect the river.

David and Veronica Taunt were aboard their cruiser moored near Abingdon Bridge when they saw a wooden canoe split in two as it smashed sideways into the bridge on Sunday evening.

The couple, of King's Sutton, near Banbury, threw a rope to the men and pulled them from the river, which they described as "like white water".

The canoeists, who were wearing life jackets but had no buoyancy aids in their vessel, did not identify themselves - but were believed to be aged 35 to 40 and from Oxford.

Mr Taunt, 65, and his wife, 55, said the men were unable to fight the current. He said: "Although the bridge is probably 50m away from us, they were washed down here in seconds.

"They had one chance to grab the rope and thankfully they caught it. It took every ounce of strength for my wife and I to hold on to them."

Mr Taunt, who is semi retired, pulled a muscle in his shoulder during the rescue, but said it was a small price to pay.