Corrosive substance thrown in man's face in Bloxwich

A man has spoken of the "horrendous pain" he felt after a corrosive substance was thrown in his face as he was sitting in his parked car.

Mike Glover-Johnson, 46, said he was waiting to pick up a takeaway when he was attacked on the High Street, in Bloxwich, Walsall, at 18:50 BST on Sunday.

A man concealing his face targeted him with an unknown liquid, he said.

Detectives said they were keeping an "open mind" over the attack's motive.

No arrests have been made.

Pub manager Mr Glover-Johnson, from Bloxwich, told the BBC: "I'm in shock. The car door opened and I was told 'don't move'.

"I then felt horrendous pain mainly over the right side of my face. I don't know what he wanted."

He said gallons of water were poured over his injuries following the attack, which West Midlands Police described as an "isolated incident".

"Thankfully people helped and their quick reactions may have stopped permanent scarring," he added.

Mr Glover-Johnson said it was unclear if his attacker had stolen a laptop which was in the passenger footwell of his Renault Clio as police were forensically examining the vehicle as a crime scene.

Police are studying nearby CCTV and trying to identify what the substance was.

Assaults involving corrosive substances have more than doubled in England since 2012, police figures show.

People caught with acid or other corrosive substances in public could face up to six months in jail under new guidelines for England and Wales.

Earlier this year, West Midlands Police was given hundreds of acid decontamination kits to help them treat victims of attacks.