South Essex College has banned all its staff and students from bringing sports bottles onto college grounds because of the rising fear of acid attacks.

South Essex College - which has campuses in Grays, Southend and Basildon - has introduced the ban as a precautionary measure only.

The college has confirmed the measure is not a reaction to any specific threat or concern about students and staff.

A spokeswoman for the college said: “There has been a rise in acid attacks across the UK recently and as a preventative measure, to ensure the safety of all our students, staff and visitors, the college has removed all sport cap bottles from our sites.

"As stated in our recent Ofsted report where the College was awarded a good grade, ‘Learners feel safe, and are kept safe, in college’ and we will continue to make sure this absolutely remains the case.”

While there have been no reported incidents at the college, there has been an increase of acid attacks across Essex, and the country.

Several high profile incidents hitting headlines in national and local news.

Last month, there was a suspected acid attack in Grays high street where two men reported they had been sprayed in the face with an unknown chemical.

They were taken to hospital with non-serious injuries.

Back in May, armed robbers sprayed a 17-year-old boy in the face before stealing his bag outside public toilets in Southchurch Road, Southend.

The victim was hospitalised but did not receive life-changing injuries.

Essex Police said the ban had not been suggested by its officers.

A spokesman for the force said: “We are aware of their decision. It is their decision to take and not one we’ve advised them to take.

“While there has been an increased around the country, including Essex, in use of noxious substances in some crimes, we are not aware that the college campus has a specific issue with this sort of crime.”

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