HAMPSHIRE hairdresser Andy Sinclair has spoken for the first time of the "excruciating" pain he suffered when a man dressed as a clown threw acid over him.

The 51-year-old watched his clothing and skin dissolving before his very eyes in the attack at his Southampton salon.

Mr Sinclair, now recovering at Odstock specialist burns unit in Salisbury, chased after his attacker, who wore a tartan cap and long ginger wig.

At first, he thought the substance thrown over him was oil - but then felt a strong burning sensation to his face, arm and stomach.

Mr Sinclair said: "It was excruciatingly painful. My clothes were melting on me. It was just literally dissolving so it didn't take long to realise it was acid.

"I could see my face actually start to distort and change in the mirror as I was tried to wash it off."

Asked how he felt about his attacker, Mr Sinclair said: "I couldn't care less about the bloke. He is a nothing, a coward. I am just someone who has to get on with life. There is no point in dwelling on it and getting bitter."

Mr Sinclair told the BBC's Crimewatch UK team how he thought the man was collecting for charity when he suddenly appeared in his salon in Victoria Road, Woolston, on June 12.

But instead the man threw sulphuric acid all over him before escaping on a pedal cycle and later a motorbike.

More than a month later, police remain mystified about the motive behind the unprovoked assault.

Detectives today appealed for a middle-aged man in a purple shirt, who called into the salon both before and after the incident, to come forward to be eliminated from inquiries.

The attack is due to be featured on the BBC's Crimewatch programme tonight in the hope of generating fresh leads.

Det Insp Nigel Niven said: "The police can't detect crimes without the help of the public, and this is another occasion when we can appeal for people's support."

* Crimewatch UK is on BBC1 from 9pm tonight. Any information to the Hulse Road incident room on 0845 045 4545.