UPDATE: Man suffers facial injuries in '˜acid attack' in Lee-on-the-Solent

The victim suffered ‘serious’ but not life-changing injuries to his face in the assault.

Hampshire police said the 47-year-old victim was on his way to work at when attacked at around 4am in High Street, Lee-on-the-Solent.

Specialist firefighters attended the incident to identify the liquid.

A police spokesman said: ‘The victim has been taken to hospital to be treated for injuries to his face.’

He added: ‘An investigation is underway to establish the exact circumstances of what has happened.’

The victim said the first man was tanned, 5ft 7ins tall, of medium build, had dark hair and was in his 20s.

He was wearing a wedding ring, a blue or black tracksuit with a QPR emblem on the left shoulder, and white trainers.

The second man was white, 5ft 6ins tall, skinny, aged in his late teens and had a beard around his jaw line.

He was wearing blue jeans, a blue and white striped top under a black bomber jacket

South Central Ambulance Service was called at 4.08am.

It sent an ambulance to the scene which then took a male patient with serious, but not life-threatening, injuries to the Queen Alexandra Hospital, in Cosham.

Police said the liquid does not pose a risk to the wider community.

A spokesman would not confirm if it was an acid used said other material could have caused the injuries.

But local workers have said they understand it was an ‘acid attack.

Charlie Paterson, from All Seasons Fruiterers, in High Street, said: ‘It was an acid attack, a guy went to get his bike out at about 4am.

‘It’s always so quiet around here, it’s really bizarre to have something like that happen.

‘I was told he went to get his cycle out the shed quite early and they must have said something and did that.

‘He got rushed to hospital and his face and arms were completely burnt. It all seems a bit weird.’

Anyone who was in the area at the time and who saw what happened should call DS David West at Fratton Police Station on 101 quoting 44160165297.