Police believe child, who is being treated for severe burns, was deliberately targeted

Police have arrested a man and are appealing for information from the public after a three-year-old boy was seriously injured in a suspected acid attack.

The child was treated for serious burns to his face and one of his arms after the incident in Worcester on Saturday. Police believe that the boy, who has been discharged from hospital, was deliberately targeted.

A 39-year-old man from Wolverhampton was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm and remained in police custody on Sunday. Images of three men to whom investigators would like to speak were also released by West Mercia police.

The incident occurred at about 2.15pm in a branch of the Home Bargains chain of discount stores on Shrub Hill Retail Park in the Tallow Hill area.

A spokesman for West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called at 2.24pm “to reports of a young boy who had suffered a severe reaction to an unknown substance”.

“An ambulance was sent and arrived in eight minutes. The crew assessed the boy at the scene and liaised with the trust’s hazardous area response team for specialist advice,” the spokesman said.

Rachel Bryant, 22, told local media of seeing police at ambulance staff at the scene, adding: “I saw a woman crying and being comforted by police. When I heard about the little boy being attacked with acid I couldn’t believe it. I assume the woman I saw could have been his mum or relative.”

Forensic tests were being carried out on the substance, which West Mercia police said may be acid or some other corrosive element.

“We have used the phrase acid attack because I think that means something to the general public,” said Chief Supt Mark Travis, added that the force’s “absolute priority” was focused on identifying the three men. The shop was busy at the time of the incident, he added.

Travis told Sky News that the long-term implications of the child’s injuries were uncertain, but he hoped they would not be life-changing.

“At this time we are treating this as a deliberate attack on a three-year-old boy,” he said. “The incident will rightly shock the local community and I would like to reassure local people that we are carrying out a thorough investigation to identify those responsible.

“At this time, the motive for the attack is unclear. Officers are working hard to establish exactly what happened and what the substance involved was. The three men in the photo may have information vital to our investigation. I am sure someone will recognise them and I would urge anyone with information to contact us as a matter of urgency.”

The deputy leader of Worcester city council, Adrian Gregson, said he was in the shop next to Home Bargains shortly after the attack. He told the Press Association: “I was in the shop next door when it was going on. It was around mid-afternoon.

“I didn’t know what the situation was – there were a couple of fire engines and a fire incident vehicle and a police car. By that point the ambulance had been and gone. It is the first time, as far as I’m aware, this has happened in Worcester.”

Robin Walker, the MP for Worcester, described the incident as horrific and urged anyone with information to contact the police. “The shock will be universal, anyone conducting such an attack on a small child is just appalling,” he added.

“It’s an issue which rightly there has been a lot of concern [over] in parliament and a move to toughen sentences for any kind of acid attack. But particularly the nature of this being a small child is very concerning indeed.

“At this stage, the key thing is for the police to act quickly and see if they can track down the perpetrator and understand what’s behind it because it is an unthinkable thing to happen.”

The leader of Worcester city council, Marc Bayliss, described the attack as “pure evil”.

He added: “Worcester is not that sort of place. We are a quintessential small English city. I have never heard of an acid attack in Worcester so this is absolutely not something we have any experience of.”

