West Midlands Police given hundreds of acid attack kits

Hundreds of decontamination kits have been issued to West Midlands Police officers, to help them treat the victims of acid attacks.

The force designed the bags after deciding the decontamination cases used by Metropolitan Police officers were too large and cumbersome.

Some 320 kits are now in service.

Some were carried as a precaution at the Royal wedding earlier in the year.

The force says they are for treating all sorts of injuries involving hazardous substances, not just acid attacks, and they allow officers to provide immediate care, until paramedics can arrive.