This is the shocking moment an elderly woman riding an electric scooter crashed into a canal before residents rescued her.

CCTV footage shows the pensioner, wearing a white helmet, manoeuvring along a narrow street in Zhejiang, China.

Her scooter can be seen striking a brick placed on the edge of the waterway causing her to lose control on January 20.

She then plunged into the murky water along with her vehicle.

The loud splash alerted a woman nearby, who rushed to the canal bank to find the hapless senior citizen half-submerged in the cold water.

The shocked local immediately called for her neighbours to help pull the motorist out.

Moments later, a group of residents arrived and assisted the rider by using a pole to hoist her to safety.

The elderly woman reportedly did not sustain any injuries in the incident.