Man and child doused in 'substance' after altercation at Prestwich taxi office

A man and his child are recovering after they had a substance thrown over them outside a taxi depot.

Emergency services were called to Poppythorn Lane in Prestwich, Greater Manchester, shortly before one o'clock this afternoon.

Police say it followed an altercation outside the Magnum Whiteline taxi office and a substance was thrown.

Paramedics examined the man and child but the substance was later found not to be noxious.

Officers cordoned off a wide area covering part of Bury New Road and Poppythorn Lane as emergency service members spoke to staff at the office.

In a statement Greater Manchester Police said: "At around 12:50pm today (Friday 10 February 2023) officers were called to reports of an unknown substance being thrown on two pedestrians on Poppythorn Lane in Prestwich."Emergency services attended the scene to conduct medical assessments of the two victims and a thorough examination of the scene."Initial enquiries suggest an altercation occurred between two men outside a taxi rank, the suspect then got into a taxi and threw an unknown substance over the man and his child.

"This is believed to be an isolated incident and this individual does not pose a wider public threat. 

"Officers are also now able to confirm the substance thrown on the victims is not noxious and the victims were medically examined at the scene as a precautionary measure."The scene will shortly be closed."