UberEats and Deliveroo drivers were specifically targeted for their mopeds in a spate of horrific acid attacks across east London, with police arresting two teenagers aged 15 and 16 over the incident.

One rider was attacked and robbed while another man was heard 'screaming in agony' after suffering catastrophic injuries when doused with flesh-burning liquid.

Another victim who also had his moped stolen was filmed having litres of water poured over his face by police to wash acid from his eyes by the side of the road in Hackney.

The two-man gang went on a rampage across east London as they sprayed five men between 10.25pm and 11.37pm in Stoke Newington, Hackney and Islington.

One of the drivers was confirmed to work for Deliveroo, while another was a father-of-one UberEats driver who said he was 'saved by his moped helmet'.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested at an address in Stoke Newington on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and robbery, after a 16-year-old was detained earlier this morning.

Jabed Hussain says he was lucky not to be more seriously injured after he was the first victim of a gang who sprayed acid in the faces of delivery drivers on mopeds last night

Map: This graphic illustrates where the shocking acid attacks took place last night - one suspect has been held and the other is on the run

Jabed Hussain suffered burns to his lip when he a corrosive liquid was squirted through his helmet at traffic lights before robbers snatched his 'pride and joy' moped.

The father-of-one is understood to have been the first of five victims sprayed with acid by two attackers who rode around Hackney last night.

Mr Hussain, 32, says he considers himself lucky after seeing the other victims nursing more serious injuries when he was treated in Whitechapel's Royal London Hospital.

Mr Hussain said:' The delivery driver of four years said: 'I was lucky because I was wearing a helmet which is totally burnt as was the hoodie I was wearing, the colours are completely different, like it has been exposed to fire.

'I had just finished work and was going home, I was stuck in traffic. Then suddenly I felt water on my face and I looked up and there were two boys on a bike.

'My face was burning but nobody opened their windows, I was screaming for help and as the liquid on my face was drying it was getting more and more burnt. I opened my helmet, I didn't know what to do, but I knew I needed water.

'One lady asked me what happened and I said that someone had put acid on my face.

'I said I need water on my face, it is burning, she went and got water from Co-Op and others got water too.

He was later rushed to hospital, where he saw other victims with worse injuries.

Two men on a moped carried out five acid attacks in a 72-minute period in London on Thursday night, leaving one victim with life-changing injuries on Hackney Road junction with Queensbridge Road (pictured). Other delivery drivers rushed to the scene after the attack

Call for knife-style crackdown Acid attacks should be treated in the same way as knife crime, say campaigners. Under current laws, a knife attacker can face attempted murder charges, whereas an acid attack would be classified as grievous bodily harm. It is also illegal to sell a knife of any kind to anyone under 18 or carry one in public without good reason. However, while attacking someone with a corrosive substance is illegal, it is not against the law to carry it. This means that it is increasingly the weapon of choice for many criminals, as caustic fluid can be bought for as little as £7 a litre, and there is no age restriction on its purchase. Jaf Shah, executive director of the Acid Survivors Trust, called for carrying acid in public to have the same penalty as possessing a knife. He added: ‘In a way, [an acid attack] is almost like a safer crime to commit, especially for gang members perhaps lower down the hierarchy.’ Advertisement

He added: 'One man I walked past at the Royal London Hospital had the left hand side of his face all burned.

'When my daughter saw my face last night she was screaming and crying, she recognised me but she was looking at me in a different way.'

He spoke as police arrested a second suspect over the 72-minute spree across east London last night.

Witnesses said one attacker riding pillion would jump off and steal the victim's scooter with the other thief speeding away on the moped they arrived on.

Some of the victims were food delivery drivers and one Deliveroo employee has revealed 40 of his colleagues in east London are now refusing to work after dark.

He said groups of up to 12 youths are stealing their motorcycles when they visit housing estates and some drivers are now even carrying weapons to fight them off.

This morning, Scotland Yard said today that a 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and robbery. The arrest of the 15-year-old was announced this afternoon.

Police officers were seen pouring bottle after bottle of water over a victim, understood to be Mr Hussain, in a video that appeared on Twitter from Hackney Road

Chief Inspector Ben Clark, from Hackney Borough police, said: 'Each of these offences took place in busy locations and we know there may be witnesses who have not yet contacted us.

'If you saw something or managed to film or photograph anything that might help us please get in touch.

'These are hideous offences and must have been very frightening for all of the victims.

'I'm aware of rumours circulating that the victims were all food delivery riders set up in advance of the attacks. This is not the case.

'All victims were riding mopeds at the time of the attacks, but were from a variety of backgrounds.

'Of late we have seen more attacks using corrosive substances in London. I would urge businesses and parents to challenge those who they think may be trying to obtain or carry these substances as this could help prevent serious offences and life changing injuries being caused.'

Victim Mr Hussain said he saw others with worse injuries, including one with 'the left hand side of his face all burned'

One of the victims was a Deliveroo rider, a spokesman for the company confirmed today.

'These are truly shocking attacks and we are working with the authorities to help bring the perpetrators to justice,' the spokesman added.

'We are in touch with the rider and will be providing him with support.

Treat acid the same as knives, says MP Tougher and more consistent sentences are needed for those found guilty of acid attacks, a former minister has said. Stephen Timms (pictured) called for carrying acid to be made an offence and suggested licensing the purchase of sulphuric acid as he urged a change in sentencing guidelines. The Labour MP, who will lead an adjournment debate on acid attacks in the Commons on Monday, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think that the sentences for attacks of this kind should be reviewed - the guidelines for sentencing. 'I think we should have tougher and also more consistent sentences for those who are found guilty of carrying out these attacks.' Mr Timms said carrying a bottle of sulphuric acid without justification should be treated as an offence, like carrying a knife, and said there was a case to re-examine when it is appropriate to use stop and search powers. He said: 'I think that carrying acid should in itself be an offence, in the same way that carrying a knife wouldn't have been an offence some years ago. 'I think there's been a pretty effective change - I think the same change should be made for acid.' Mr Timms also called for sulphuric acid to be re-categorised so that a licence is required to buy the chemical, telling the programme: 'Sulphuric acid is already covered by the Explosives Precursor Regulations introduced last year, but it's in a kind of lower category in those regulations. 'I think it should be raised to the higher category, which would mean you'd have to have a licence in order to buy it.' Home Office Minister Sarah Newton said the Government was working on the three points raised by Mr Timms. Ms Newton told the same programme: 'I and my colleagues in the Home Office have been increasingly concerned about the escalation of incidents, especially in London, so we have been working with the Metropolitan Police and community policing on this for some months now.' She added: 'We are going through each and every one of those to make sure if there is more we can do, yes we will take more action.' Mr Timms' calls for tougher sentencing come after two males on a moped carried out five acid attacks across London in less than 90 minutes, according to police. Figures show a sharp rise in both over recent years. Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told LBC: 'Acid attacks are completely barbaric. I think, until recently, we haven't seent this at all, incredibly infrequent in the UK. It's something that has been used in other countries... I've known it in some Caribbean countries, I think it has been used in South America. 'I don't want people to think this is happening all over London all of the time, it's not. But we are concerned but it seems to be going up. We will arrest people, we will enforce the law. 'We are working with the Home Office to see if there can be any changes in the law.' Theresa May denounced the acid attacks as 'horrific'. A Downing Street spokesman said: 'It is already an offence to carry acid or a corrosive substance with intent to cause harm and anyone using it can be prosecuted for pretty serious offences including ABH and GBH. 'There was a meeting at the Home Office on July 4 and we are continuing to work with the police, health professionals and retailers to do more. 'The Prime Minister believes the use of acid in this way is horrific and we want to work with stakeholders to see what more can be done. 'It is clearly an extremely serious issue, which is why we are carrying out work to see what more we can do.' Advertisement

'We have been in touch with all riders who were working in these areas at the time of last night's attacks to check whether they were a victim of these horrific crimes and to gather further information that might help the police with their inquiries.'

The shocking incidents come after a spate of acid attacks across Britain, including one on a 21-year-old model who was left with horrific burns to her face.

Experts say acid is becoming the weapon of choice for many criminals because it is not illegal to carry and can be bought freely from any hardware store.

Assaults using acid have more than doubled in England since 2012 - up from 183 five years ago to 504 in the year to March 2017. The majority have been in east London.

There were more than 1,800 reports of acid used in murders, robberies and rapes since 2010.

Last year acid was used in 454 crimes, up from 261 the previous year, with almost a third of the attacks carried out in the borough of Newham in east London, the figures show.

The problem has got so bad for Deliveroo drivers in east London that many are refusing to work past 9.30pm.

One worker revealed he was surrounded by up to 12 youths who threatened to attack him unless he handed over his moped.

He told the Hackney Gazette that 40 out of 50 staff will not work night shifts.

He said last week: 'In the past month physical attacks with knives have started. Drivers are being held at knifepoint, mostly in Shoreditch or Hackney Central.

'You can be riding along and they chase you on another moped.

'We're seeing groups of boys on three or four mopeds, with people on the back, running drivers off the road and taking their mopeds.

'On Queensbridge Road last week a driver was stopped at the lights and 10 boys on bikes said: 'Get off your bike.'

Revealing the anger among drivers he said: 'They are talking about forming packs of drivers to go back and get justice themselves. Drivers don't want to carry weapons but I know some that will.'

Last night the most serious incident has left a man with 'life-changing injuries' in Cazenove Road, Stoke Newington.

Local baker Samuel Leibowitz, 49, said he rushed to the scene to find the victim 'screaming in agony' and surrounded by 50 to 60 people who had flooded out of their houses.

He said: 'I got a call from a friend of mine saying there was an attack. I came running down the road and I saw a gentleman leaning on the wall with a cloth over his face.

'He was screaming in agony. There were people shouting and swearing. He was in a lot of pain'.

Samuel said he believes the victim was in his mid-20s.

He added: 'I could not see his face as he was holding the cloth and he was in a lot of pain. There were lots of people around him.

'People said he was attacked. I thought he must have been attacked with a knife or something but I saw the cloth and there were lots of people around him, so I didn't actually approach him.

'I realised there was no blood so I thought there must have been another acid attack.'

Last night police were called to the first attack at junction of Hackney Road and Queensbridge Road in Hackney at about 10.25pm.

The 32-year-old victim was sprayed in the face by the scooter gang after they pulled alongside him.

One of the riders then took his moped and his accomplice followed behind on the scooter they arrived on.

Witness Sarah Cobbold looked out from her flat near the Hackney Road attack to see police pouring huge bottles of water over the victim on her doorstep.

She said: 'It was just outside my flat, the victim was literally stood on my doorstep.

'Police had cordoned off the little area around the pavement and there was just a guy standing on my doorway and they were pouring huge, five-litre bottles of water over his head'.

A specialist NHS unit help one of the victims on the side of the road in Upper Clapton at just before midnight

Roads were closed around and buses stopped and evacuated after the thugs struck last night

As she watched, around 25 moped riders arrived - many appearing to be from fast-food delivery companies such as UberEats and Deliveroo.

She said: 'I'm guessing maybe they had heard what happened and came down because they can't have all been driving round together'.

'I had thought someone must have chucked petrol or acid on him or something because they were covering him in water, but I have never seen that reaction to an attack, I thought maybe there had been an accident.

Little more than 20 minutes later, at around 10.50pm, another victim had been sprayed with searing liquid by the pair at the Upper Street junction with Highbury Corner, Islington.

The victim was taken to hospital in north London.

Then at around 11.05pm, the fast-moving attackers swooped on a man in Shoreditch High Street, tossing a substance in his face.

His injuries were not life-threatening, police said.

Quick thinking pub staff poured vinegar over him.

Horrified eyewitnesses said the victim, believed to be in his 40s, had stopped at traffic lights when another moped with a pillion passenger stopped less than a metre in front of him.

The scene after two men on a moped carried out five acids attacks during a spree across the capital which lasted less than 90 minutes

Staff at the Drunken Monkey on Shoreditch High Street saw the pillion passenger turn around and spray an ammonia-like liquid in his face.

The brave delivery man fought back to prevent the thugs stealing his scooter despite being sprayed with the liquid.

He was the third of five people to be attacked in just 72 minutes by the moped thugs on Thursday night.

The eyewitness, who asked not to be named, said: 'One guy was on a moped at traffic lights when another moped stopped in front of him, and the passenger turned around and sprayed liquid at him.

Aspiring model Resham Khan, 21, suffered 'life-changing' injuries in the acid attack

'He had his visor down which helped him.

'The guy on the moped sat there in shock and then a kid pushed him off and tried to nick his bike.

'But he went back over to them and pushed the kid off and then both took off on their moped.

'They didn't manage to nick his bike. They rode off. They were just kids, about 17 or 18 years old.

'We got him into here and poured vinegar on his face while a friend of mine went to get his bike.

'I think it was ammonia they sprayed, I could smell it. When the police got here they poured litres and litres of water on his face'.

Within 15 minutes, they appeared to have struck again, launching their corrosive load at a man in Cazenove Road and causing 'life-changing' facial injuries.

The final assault of the night was reported to police at 11.37pm, when another man was confronted as he sat on his moped in traffic in Chatsworth Road.

After again spraying a liquid in a victim's face, the moped was stolen and both attackers fled.

Miss Khan has said she wants to ensure 'no one ever goes through the living nightmare I have endured' after being left with horrific face and neck injuries after the incident

Miss Khan's cousin Jameel Muhktar also suffered 'life-changing' burns in the attack on June 21. John Tomlin has been charged with two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent

A woman who lives in flats off Upper Clapton Road, who did not want to be named, said she heard shouting coming from outside.

'I just saw blue flashing lights and heard a load of shouting,' she said, adding that she heard someone shout 'Oi, what do you think you're doing'?'

She said: 'I just thought it was a fight broke out because it was the time people would have been coming home from the pub.

'There was so much shouting going on. I looked out my window in case it was a woman being mugged or attacked.'

Hazardous area response units were sent by the ambulance service to four of the scenes, while the victim of the Chatsworth Road attack took himself to hospital.

The Met Police said in a statement: 'Inquiries are ongoing and officers from Hackney CID are investigating.

'All five incidents are being treated as linked at this time.

'A male, in his teens has been arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and robbery. He is currently in custody at an east London police station.

'Enquiries are ongoing and officers from Hackney CID are investigating'.

Sophie Hall (pictured, left, as she set off for the club) was taken to a specialist burns hospital in Essex after acid was sprayed at a crowded east London club on Easter Monday

The string of assaults comes just days after a man appeared in court accused of throwing acid at an aspiring model and her cousin.

Resham Khan, 21, and Jameel Muhktar, 37, were left with life-changing injuries after the attack on Ms Khan's 21st birthday in Beckton, east London.

John Tomlin appeared at Thames Magistrates' Court on Tuesday charged with two counts of grievous bodily harm with intent.

A mass acid attack has also previously hit the capital this year.

On Easter Monday, acid was sprayed at a crowded east London club night, leaving two revellers partially blinded and others disfigured.

Arthur Collins, the former boyfriend of reality TV star Ferne McCann, was charged in connection with the attack.

Anyone with information or in possession of footage of the incidents is urged to contact police on 101 or tweet @MetCC. Alternatively, they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.