AN investigation has been launched after a reveller suffered horrific injuries when acid was thrown into her face while on a night out in Southampton.

A 37-year-old woman was rushed to Southampton General Hospital after being attacked outside Turtle Bay in Guildhall Square.

Today police have launched an appeal to hunt down the attacker and are appealing for partygoers or anyone who was in the area and may have witnessed the attack to contact them immediately.

No arrests have been made.

The liquid was thrown in the woman’s face at 9pm last night while she was on a night out.

She was walking past the restaurant at the time and but had not visited the restaurant that evening. 

But staff rushed to give her first aid - and fear the exent of her injuries may have caused her to lose her sight.

Daily Echo:

She suffered severe burns to her face, neck and arms and was taken to hospital by ambulance where she is believed to remain today.

Police and firefighters were called to the scene and set up a cordon outside the restaurant while they investigated.

Staff at Turtle Bay today told how the woman, described as a brunette wearing a top and leggings and who was accompanied by a man, rushed towards restaurant crying out for help.

Assistant general manager Adrian Rodgers told the Echo she approached him while he was outside the entrance and said: “She ran over to door staff  screaming for help.  She was with a man who kept on asking her if she was alright.

“Her face was blistering and looked like the sort of thing you see with soldiers in war. It was so bad you couldn’t tell what she looked like or how old she was.

“I am first aid trained so I took a jug of ice water and was rinsing her face and mouth with ice water as we sat her down on the floor outside.

“The ambulance and police then arrived really quickly.

 “Fingers crossed she is alright – you hear about these things but you don’t expect to see it.

A bar worker said: "The acid was in her whole face and eyes - she's probably going to be blinded.

"Neither her nor her attacker were actually guests here, we were just helping out and providing first aid treatment. She said it was two men.

"Her face looked like it was melting; it was quite clear there was a lot of damage. It happened just outside in the middle of the square."

Police and firefighters were called to the scene and set up a cordon outside the restaurant until 1.30am while they investigated.

A police spokeswoman said: “We were called to an incident where acid was thrown into the face of a 37-year-old woman outside Turtle Bay. She was taken to Southampton General Hospital with significant burns to her face, neck and arms, This is an isolated rare occurrence and anyone with information is asked to call police.”

A spokeswoman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue said a crew from St Mary’s fire station used a hose reel to wash a quarter of a pint of acid from the pavement.

A spokeswoman for South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) said an ambulance was called to Guildhall Square at 9.11pm where a woman was assessed and taken to hospital.

A host of people took to social media to express their concerns and wish the victim well.

Megan Norris wrote: "Feel so bad for the girl who had acid thrown on her face in Southampton last night. Hope she is ok!

"It was right by Turtle Bay. People must have seen it happen, it's just so awful! There are some real creeps out there."

Ed Hooley tweeted: "A woman has been attacked with acid outside Turtle Bay; her face took serious burns."

Emily Frankham added: "Girl was a victim to an acid attack outside turtle bay in Southampton and her face has melted, pray for her recovery, far too close to home."

A statement released on behalf of Turtle Bay said: “There was an incident involving an attack on a female in the central public area of Guildhall Square last night, The lady was not a customer of the nearby Turtle Bay. However, the manager on duty provided immediate assistance and emergency first aid while the emergency services were called. When they arrived they immediately took her to hospital to continue her treatment. We hope that she makes a full and speedy recovery from the incident.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting 44150324698.