A mother and her son died after she jumped into a river to save him when he got into difficulty while cooling off, witnesses have claimed.

Emergency services rushed to Elthorne Park in Ealing, west London, just before 4:30pm on Saturday, following reports that a boy and a woman were struggling in the water.

The woman, 34, and her seven-year-old son were pulled from the River Brent, which borders the park. They were both pronounced dead at the scene.

Another witness has since claimed they saw the mother leap into the river to save her son.

Another person jumped in after them and tried to pull them out of the river but had to let go after struggling in the current themselves.