COPS have put out an appeal for information in a bid to identify a mystery man with a "distinctive" dragon-like tattoo after he was pulled from the Thames.

The man is currently in a critical but stable condition but his identity has not been established after he was rescued near London's Putney Embankment, Scotland Yard said on Saturday.

Detectives have ruled out foul play and believe the man, thought to be in his 30s, injured himself after entering a section of the river he thought was shallow on July 26.

The Met Police said: "He was not carrying any identification and due to his poor state of health police are keen to trace his family as soon as possible."

The man was wearing a camouflage t-shirt with "Now or never, no regrets, past/present/future" written on it.

"He has two distinctive tattoos on his left hand and one on his lower right leg, that are faded black in colour," a statement added.

The force did not describe the tattoos, but the one on the leg appears to be "tribal", while the one on his hand resembles a dragon.

On the night of his rescue, the London Ambulance Service was alerted at around 7.20pm by reports of a man in the Thames, the force said.

The RNLI plucked him from the river with the help of passers-by and he was airlifted to hospital, it added.

Detective Sergeant Samantha Batchelor said: "We have exhausted all our lines of enquiry to identify this man and we are hoping with the release of his image a friend or family member will be able to come forward tell us who he is."

The picture showed a brown-haired man using breathing apparatus in a hospital bed.

He is described as a white male, dark in complexion, and of medium build.

Anyone who can identify the man should call the missing person's unit on 101.