An unsuspecting train worker suffered chemical burns to his face and eyes after a ‘horrific’ attack at a central London railway station.
Detectives are looking for a man who attacked the train worker at Blackfriars station, squirting an unknown chemical substance at him.
The assault unfolded at the busy central London station at rush hour on May 17 when the victim was guarding the ticket barriers.
Four men got off a train from Sevenoaks and barged through the gates at about 6pm.
While three of the men ran off, one of them was stopped by the rail staff.
He began abusing the victim and his colleagues on the line of duty and soon the three other men returned.
Suddenly, one of the men pulled a Lucozade Sport bottle out of his jacket and squirted the clear contents onto the man’s face.
He felt an immediate pain in his eyes and lost his vision while the gang fled the station.
The ticket worker was rushed to a hospital nearby, and he was treated for chemical burns on his face and eyes.
Now detectives have released station CCTV images of a man they want to speak to.
Detective Constable Victoria Callaghan, from the British Transport Police, said the victim needed eye surgery for long-term injuries after the ‘horrific’ attack.
She said: ‘An investigation into the serious assault was launched immediately and we have been exploring all lines of enquiry over several months.
‘As a result, we have recently obtained clearer CCTV footage of a man we believe can assist our investigation.
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‘If you know who he is, please contact us by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40, quoting reference 529 of 17 May 2025.’
How safe is train travel in the UK and London?
The railways, stations and the TfL network, including the Tube and Overground, handle millions of passengers each day without a hitch.
The TfL network saw an uptick in all kinds of crime in the year up to June 2025, while passenger numbers were slightly down.
Out of 5,813 offences committed at a Tube station, the top five most affected hotspots were King’s Cross St Pancras, Tottenham Court Road, Oxford Circus, Leicester Square and Stratford.
On the railways, the number of assaults targeting passengers and staff have hit a record high, according to the latest figures from the Office for Rail and Road (ORR).
There were 10,231 incidents of assault in 2024 on the railways, which is the highest rate ever since records began two decades ago.
The watchdog recorded 4,395 cases of harassment, 3,805 of common assault and 1,613 cases of actual bodily harm.
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