Cheshire Police have released footage of a man they want to speak to after a suspected acid attack near Sainsbury's on Common Lane, Culcheth. It happened shortly after 9.30pm on Friday, October 11, when a group of teenagers had an unknown substance thrown in their faces. That is not teenage mischief, not a drunken prank, and not something any village should be brushing off with a shrug and a muttered "what is the world coming to?"
Some of the teenagers were taken to hospital, and thankfully they have all since been discharged with no serious injuries. That is the one genuinely relieving part of this grim business. Still, "no serious injuries" does not magically make it acceptable. Being attacked like that outside a local supermarket is frightening, reckless and completely beyond the pale.
The man police want to identify is described as white, in his late 40s or 50s, with greying hair, and he was wearing a black puffer jacket. Which, in fairness, narrows it down only slightly in Cheshire, but the release of the image at least shows officers are pushing enquiries forward rather than letting this drift into the usual fog of rumour and Facebook detectives.
Sergeant Neil Bradley said police believe this was an isolated incident, which will be some comfort to people in Culcheth who do not fancy adding "corrosive substance attack" to the list of things to worry about when popping to Sainsbury's. He also said none of the teenagers suffered serious injuries and that enquiries are ongoing to establish exactly what happened.
Police believe the man in the image may have vital information and have appealed for him to get in touch. The incident is being logged under IML536699, and Crimestoppers has also been referenced for anonymous information on 0800 555 111.
So, yes, there is some relief here - the teenagers are out of hospital, and Cheshire Police are treating it seriously. But let us not pretend this is anything other than ugly and alarming. Culcheth is meant to be the sort of place where the most dramatic part of an evening near Common Lane is a badly parked car or someone taking far too long at the self-checkout, not a suspected acid attack on teenagers.