Three people including pregnant woman attacked with bleach in Manchester

A passenger in a passing car threw bleach in the faces of three people, including a pregnant woman, in two separate and unprovoked attacks in Manchester.

One of the women was walking with a male companion on Ashton Old Road when the bleach was thrown at them at around 8.10pm on Friday (21 April). They were both struck in the eyes leaving them suffering "severe discomfort", police said.

Around 20 minutes later, in a second incident a third person was hit with bleach thrown from a passing silver Ford Fiesta on the same road.

None of the victims suffered serious injuries.

Inspector Cherie Dunn, from Greater Manchester Police, said: "I am so thankful that none of the victims of these senseless attacks have been seriously injured. We could easily have been dealing with life-changing injuries.

"Not only that, the woman is pregnant - the worst case scenario does not bear thinking about. Bleach attacks could have had catastrophic consequences."

The attacks come after a 22-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man were both blinded in one eye after an acid attack in a nightclub in east London.

Some 20 people suffered burn injuries in the incident with 12 people requiring hospital treatment. There were 454 attacks involving corrosive substances in the UK in 2016, Sky News reports.