A Liphook woman says she has become fearful of walking around the village after being ‘dowsed with irritant’ by a passing motorist.

The woman, who was asked to remain anonymous, was walking along Portsmouth Road when she was “showered” by liquid around 2pm on Wednesday, March 6.

She is “98 per cent” sure the culprit was the driver or passenger of a passing silver van and initially thought the liquid might have been squash or a fizzy drink.

But her face became “tight” and red with a paramedic later confirming she had been dowsed with an irritant.

A police officer responding to her 101 call was concerned and offered to call her an ambulance, but she opted to visit a local surgery instead.

After a frustrating wait she was encouraged to visit either Petersfield or Haslemere hospital before a paramedic eventually checked her over and confirmed the thrown liquid was an irritant, and not acid, as she previously feared.

The victim has “an idea” who was responsible but warned to warn other villagers, just in case it was a random attack.

She said: “I just wanted someone to look at me and tell me I was OK, just someone to reassure me – they said it wasn’t acid but an irritant was thrown at me.

“The coat was checked and half of it was affected by the solvent. I couldn’t believe something like this could happen in Liphook.

“I’m 98 per cent sure it came from the van and I’m pretty sure I know who it is but if it’s a random person just throwing irritant at random then that’s even scarier.”

Witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage or information about the incident near the Post Office building should call 101 quoting crime reference 44240097936 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.