A jilted girlfriend has suffered serious burn injuries after carrying out a botched acid attack on her former lover, police say.

Ung Limey, a 21-year-old from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, attempted to pour acid on her ex fiance while riding behind him as a passenger on his motorbike.

Although she injured her intended target, she failed to account for the large amount of the chemical that would be blown back across her own face.

Ung Limey, 21, is believed to have also suffered injuries (right) after she allegedly poured acid on her former fiance's head

To make matters worse, Leng Socheata, 23, crashed moments later due to the intense pain caused by the burning acid, causing further injuries to the pair.

Police arranged for Leng to be taken to hospital while Ung fled before they arrived, and police believe she has been treated for her burns at a private hospital.

Mok Borunchhorsak, a police spokesman in the Prampi Makara district of Phnom Penh, where the incident happened, said: 'We are currently looking to find the young woman who allegedly doused her former boyfriend with acid as she rode behind him on a motorbike.

'His family said it was an act of revenge after they had persuaded him to break off the relationship.

'We have visited all of the state hospitals and there was no sign of her, and we suspect that means that she has been treated in a private hospital.'

Local media reported photographs of Ung with a bandaged face had surfaced on social media.

The injured boy's uncle, Sok Sorin, said that they had managed to persuade him to stop seeing her after finding out that she had been arrested for jewellery theft and drug-related offences.

He claimed: 'They separated for several days, but on Tuesday, the criminal came back to my nephew and they took a motorbike ride. She took the bottle of acid and poured it over his head, seriously injuring him.'

Her former boyfriend Leng Socheata (pictured) did not escape unharmed and was taken to hospital to be treated for burn injuries

He said that she was also burned because the liquid blew back into her face.

Police spokesman Mok Borunchhorsak then confirmed that his department had previously arrested Limey on drug charges, and a warrant had been put out for her arrest.

He added: 'We know her very well, so I don't think it will take a long time to arrest her.'

Although acid attacks were not uncommon in Cambodia, tough new laws have seen an 80 percent reduction in such incidents.