Nine people were injured when a pleasure boat was involved in a collision with Tower Bridge on the Thames today.

London Coastguard co-ordinated the emergency response to an incident, which involved the Millennium Diamond pleasure boat, run by City Cruises, just after midday.

A London Ambulance spokesman reported on Twitter: ‘We’ve treated nine patients following an incident involving a boat at St Katherine’s Pier.’

The RNLI’s Tower lifeboat station crewwere the first on scene and treated a 65-year-old woman, believed to have fallen down a set of steel steps, who had suffered a head injury and bruises to her ribs.

London Ambulance Service paramedics then arrived and took her away for further treatment.

RNLI volunteer Kevin Maynard said: ‘Although the original call to us was related to that one lady, while we were on scene more people came forward to say they had been injured.’

A spokesman for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: ‘It’s believed that 10 people on board were injured, five were treated at the scene and the others were taken to hospital.

‘It’s not thought the boat has been badly damaged but a Maritime and Coastguard Agency surveyor is inspecting the vessel this afternoon.’