Police have praised brave residents who came to the aid of a mum and her two kids - with the woman and one child having suffered potentially life-changing injuries - after an alkaline substance was thrown at them in Clapham.

The Metropolitan Police said the 31-year-old woman and her three-year-old daughter, alongside her other daughter, aged eight, remain in hospital following the incident on Wednesday.

The attack which saw 11 people in total taken to hospital, including police officers and witnesses who ran to help the mum and her children.

A manhunt is now underway for the suspect, who is believed to be known to the mother, after he also allegedly threw the younger child to the ground in the attack in Lessar Avenue, near Clapham Common, at around 7.25pm.

Police believe the woman and the suspect are known to each other and the attack appeared “targeted”.

Police said in his attempt to drive away from the scene, the attacker crashed into a stationary vehicle and made off on foot.

The Metropolitan Police also praised the efforts of the public in helping the mother and her two daughters, with three of them being taken to hospital with minor burns.

Residents came to the aid of the woman by trying to wash the substance from her face.

Shannon Christi, 35, said the three-year-old girl she had helped at the scene was crying and did not give her name, meanwhile the older child stood outside her flat block and was also in tears.

Ms Christi added: “I’ve then seen her mum walking up the road again saying ‘I can’t see, I can’t see’."

She described the woman as Asian, and short with black hair.

“I shouted for my partner and he had run down the road trying to chase the man.”

When her partner returned she told him the injured woman needed water.

“(We were) dousing her in water. Staff from the hotel came around and asked what’s going on and I said she needs water.”

“At that point my skin started tingling as well, and my face started tingling,” she said.

Ms Christi said staff took the three-year-old girl into the Clapham South Belvedere Hotel while she went to wash her own arms and face.

“I’ve done that but my lips were still tingling, kept burning, kept tingling, so I sat in the ambulance for a bit and then they took me to hospital”, she added.

Ms Christi said she was taken to Tooting Hospital, adding: “It all happened so fast.”

She said she had never seen the family before and the hospital did not tell her what the substance was that caused the tingling on her skin.

The substance thrown as part of the attack is now known to be alkaline, the Metropolitan Police said.

Three women – two in their 30s and one in her 50s – who came to the aid of the family have since been discharged from hospital with minor burns injuries.

A man in his 50s who also helped declined hospital treatment for minor injuries.

Five police officers who were injured as they responded have all been treated and left hospital.

Superintendent Gabriel Cameron said: “All these members of the public and my officers deserve enormous recognition and praise for coming to the aid of this woman and children in what must have been a terrifying scenario. We will provide them with all the support we can.

“I also want to commend nearby hotel staff after victims and officers sought refuge and water there following the incident.”

He added: “We believe the man and woman are known to each other.

“Our investigation is in its early stages and we are working to establish why this awful incident has happened.

“Officers from across the Met are working with partner agencies and forces to locate and arrest the man.

“While this appears a targeted attack, he is a dangerous individual and we urgently need to find him.

“We will release more information about him as soon as we can.

“"Any members of the public who saw what happened can help us by calling 101quoting reference CAD 7790/31Jan.

“I also urge local people and drivers to check their doorbell and dash cameras for any footage that might have captured a man fleeing the area, and to please contact us immediately.”