A PLASTIC bottle and a split-second is all it takes to change their victims lives forever in the disturbing new “face-melter” trend growing in the UK.

A spate of acid attacks have rocked the country in recent weeks, sparking fear over the ease at which they can be carried out and their seemingly random nature.

This week, two men stripped to their underwear in public begging for water after being sprayed from a bottle in the street. Pictures show their clothing melting and witnesses report seeing skin “peeling off” in what police called a “suspected acid attack”.

It comes after a 16-year-old boy was charged with 15 offences after allegedly carrying out a 90 minute rampage around North and East London targeting scooter delivery drivers that injured five people.

Drivers have taken to the streets in protest, with victims calling for tougher sentencing and greater restrictions on selling the product.

The UK’s Metropolitan Police said there has been a spike in the attacks in recent years, rising from 261 in 2015 to 454 in 2016.

Australian model sisters Prue and Isobel Fraser were caught up in one terrifying Easter nightclub attack in which two men were left blinded and two more with severe facial injuries after a fight erupted inside a venue called Mangle.

At the time, Isobel shared pictures of her drastic burns covering her back and arms, saying it felt like she had a drink spilt on her.

“Apparently some people got it in the eye and can’t see. I just have some burns on my arms and on my back, and my shirt actually that I was wearing ... actually stuck to my skin, I had to get it off my skin,” she said.

“It sort of went everywhere. I could not breathe. I thought we were getting gassed. I thought it was a terrorist attack. I was freaking out.”

Meanwhile her sister Prue described it as “pain like I had never experienced before” amid complete chaos after 600 people were evacuated from the club.

‘WIN-WIN SITUATION’

Police and authorities are grappling with how to battle the scourge as acid has apparently been adopted as a weapon by young street gangs. Acid attacks carry less of a penalty than knife crime and police are not yet sure how to restrict access to something that is a common household product.

A recent VICE documentary unveiled the sinister mentality that sees acid used against women in particular. An unidentified gang member said “nine times out of ten” he would use it on a girl.

“On a guy I probably wouldn’t, I’d probably do something physical but on a girl. They love their beauty,” he said.

“On a guy you get scarred, it’s nothing. But when it’s a girl, it’s ‘look at my face’. Nine times out of 10 I’ll use it on a girl honestly.”

He also admitted being with a friend when they spotted a rival gang member or “ops” with his “baby mum” and attacked them at the supermarket.

“My boy brought out a Lucozade bottle. I was like ‘what’s that?’ he was like ‘don’t worry fam, just come’”.

“Her face was just messed up,” he said. When asked why he attacked the innocent woman, he replied “she’s his baby mum,” “If I can’t damage you enough, I’m coming for your people.”

It echoes comments from another gang member who told Mail Online using acid was a “win-win situation” because it was cheap, easy to get hold of and carried lighter sentences than other weapons.

Acid Survivors Trust International’s Jaz Shah said masculinity is “probably an underlying cause” of the attacks that are carried out against men and women.

“We really need to understand what it is about our culture that facilitates this kind of behaviour. It has to be about engaging with young men and encouraging them to understand the repercussions of violence,” he said.

Acid attack victim Samir Hussein said his life will never be the same after he was randomly attacked after watching a movie with a friend.

“My first thought was why me because I hadn’t done anything wrong,” he said, adding that he now wears a permanent mask to reduce scarring and he’s afraid of what people are capable of.

“My identity has changed. I’m not the same person. Now I’m taking a different path in life,” he said.

UK Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said she was worried by the rise in “barbaric” attacks and is working with the government to see if the law needs to change.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May hinted a change might be due after the “horrific” 90 minute rampage earlier in July but has not committed to anything yet.