Man sprayed with 'noxious' liquid in high street attack
The victim was left with blurred vision, but police don't believe the liquid was corrosive.
A man was sprayed in the face with a 'noxious' liquid during an attack on a Black Country high street.
The 27-year-old victim was withdrawing money in Smethwick when he was approached and sprayed with the liquid, leaving him with blurred vision.
Although police are unsure of what the substance was, officers believe it was neither corrosive or a high-strength acid.
The attack happened as the man was using an Lloyds Bank ATM on the corner of High Street and Brewery Street at around 10.45pm last night.
He cancelled his transaction when he was approached by two men, but as he removed his card a toxic substance was squirted in his face.
The victim didn't suffer burns or blistering but did experience blurred vision and was treated for eye pain before being taken to hospital in Birmingham.
Paramedics were on the scene near the Guru Nanak Gurdwara for around an hour and were joined by police and firefighters from Smethwick.
West Midlands Police has now appealed for information to help them catch the attackers.
A spokesman for the force said: "Tests will be carried out on the substance but it is not believed to be corrosive or a high-strength acid.
"Enquiries are underway and local CCTV is this morning being examined.
"Anyone who saw the incident or two men running near the scene is asked to call West Midlands Police Force CID on 101 (ext 811 3082) or email Sergeant Ben Parsons at b.parsons@west-midlands.pnn.police.uk."
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman added: "We were called at 10.50pm near the Sikh temple in High Street, Smethwick. One ambulance, one paramedic officer and our Hazardous Area Response Team paramedics attended.
"We assessed one man at the scene, he was complaining of some eye pain and he was taken to hospital for further checks.
"We left for hospital at 11.45pm."
