A LOVELORN youth was coaxed away from the water's edge by police after they received a call from a passer-by who said he looked set to throw himself from Teddington footbridge.

At 6.45pm on Monday, Twickenham Police received a call from Teddington Lock where a woman said there was a young man sitting on the bridge as if to throw himself into the waters.

Seven officers dashed down to the scene where they found an 18-year-old, believed to be from Dagenham, staring into the water.

One officer approached him and began to talk to him. The teenager said he had been training at Thames Young Mariners in Ham and was upset because he had broken up with a girl.

At no point while police were with him did he attempt to jump, but Inspector Nigel Short said that he was very distressed.

Inspector Short said: "His demeanour gave officers significant cause for concern."

An ambulance attended the scene as did a lifeboat from the RNLI station at Teddington, and the fire brigade.

A spokesman for London Ambulance Service said they received a call at 6.45pm from the coastguard and arrived at the lock in six minutes.

They found that the young man did not need medical assistance and left him in the hands of the police.

The young man was escorted back to Thames Young Mariners with his friends and his condition was left in the hands of his instructors.

Thames Young Mariners did not wish to comment.