Three people injured in 'noxious substance' attack in west London

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Three people have been taken to hospital after a “noxious substance” attack in west London.

Metropolitan Police officers were called to Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, shortly after 2pm.

Paramedics and firefighters were also dispatched to the scene, a spokesman said.

No arrests have been made, he added.

It is not yet clear what substance was used in the assault, police said.

A London Fire Brigade spokeswoman said: “We were called at 2.16pm to reports of an acid attack. Crews carried out a sweep of the area but found no elevated chemical readings.”

A London Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “We treated three people at the scene and took them to hospital.”

Westbourne Grove features a mix of offices, flats, shops and townhouses.

Earlier this year, the government brought in a new definition of acid as a “highly dangerous weapon”, allowing judges to impose harsher punishments on people found carrying it in public.

Amber Rudd, then home secretary, had announced the previous autumn that carrying acid without “good reason” would be outlawed, and sales of the substances to under-18s banned as part of a crackdown on acid attacks.