A man in his 40s ran into a Kwik Fit garage 'screaming' today after allegedly being doused with acid.

Mechanics from the garage in Whetstone, North London, are said to have performed first aid on the man when he burst into the shop and begged for help.

The man was said to have been approached by two suspects who threw a noxious substance at him before stealing his mobile phone at about 10.30am today.

Mechanics from a KwikFit garage in Whetstone, North London, are said to have performed first aid on the man after he ran into the building following an alleged acid attack

Police cordoned off the scene in North London as they investigated what happened at 10.30am

Binesh Karia, supervisor at the shop, told This Is Local London: 'We poured water on his face and he kept saying 'call an ambulance, I have been attacked with acid'.

'We took him into the washroom area and stripped his top off and washed him down with water while police were on their way.

'My area manager was the one who called the police while the man never stopped washing his face. He had to keep rinsing before the acid settled into his skin.'

The horrendous aftermath of the acid attack was witnessed by MOT tester Elhaj Diallo as he worked on a car at a Kwik Fit in north London this morning.

The man in his 40s was walking down the street in Whetstone when robbed of his mobile by two thugs wearing crash helmets.

He heard the man scream 'acid, acid' as he pushed into bushes outside the garage' s reception before his attackers ran off and Elhaj jumped into action.

The 30-year-old said: 'I was doing an MOT when I heard a man crying 'acid, acid'.

'I looked up and I saw him in the bushes and then two men jumped up behind him and run.

'The man looked awful and in absolute pain, he was holding his face.

The man was allegedly approached by two suspects who threw a noxious substance at him

'So I grabbed him and pulled him inside into the garage and to the washroom where I began to rinse his face.

'The man was just crying. and I just kept on pouring water on his face.

'His eyes were really red. He was in a lot of pain and in a lot of shock. Then an ambulance arrived and took him away.

'It was horrible to see someone suffering like that. How anyone could do that to a person I don't know?

'That poor guy had no idea what was going to happen to him. He was just walking down the street.'

Supervisor Binesh Karia, in his 50s, who helped pour water over the victim said: 'I had my back to it when it happened but a disabled lady customer just started shouting 'oh my God.'

'She then just started shaking and crying - it was awful seeing this.

'I was really worried about her but I decided to go and help. I just kept pouring water over his face too.

'And the pain that poor man was in, all over a mobile phone.

'How will they even catch them? From what I hear they were wearing helmets.'

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Police were called at 10.30am today to reports of a noxious substance being thrown at a man in N12.

'Officers, the London Ambulance Service, and London Fire Brigade attended and found a man, aged in his 40s, suffering from facial injuries. He has taken to a north London hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

'It is understood the victim was approached by two suspects who threw a noxious substance at him before stealing his mobile phone. They then made-off from the scene. No arrests have been made. Enquiries continue.'

The incident follows a teenage girl being hosed down in the street by firefighters after a noxious substance was squirted at her on Tuesday in Brixton, South London.

A further alleged acid attack took place on Saturday in Dalston, East London, as the capital reels from a wave of violence that has struck since the start of the year.