Acid attacks: Deliveroo driver among victims of London rampage

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Deliveroo drivers expressed their fears about attacks in London borough of Hackney last month, before one of them was among five victims targeted in a series of acid attacks by two men on mopeds in the capital last night.

Jabed Duzzahuru is thought to have been permanently scarred after he was targeted on his way home from work.

"I did not know if my face was okay, I thought it had gone," the 32-year-old said afterwards.

"Why should I have to suffer?" added the president of a group which represents more than 2,500 delivery drivers from companies including Deliveroo and UberEats. "I don't think my lip will get better, even if it does get better it's going to take a long time."

Deliveroo said it was "in touch with the rider and will be providing him with support".

But it has emerged that last month drivers for the company had formed a group on the WhatsApp messaging service, to share information with each other about potential attack hotspots after a series of violent incidents in Hackney.

Some of them had reported attempts to steal their mopeds or their phones, according to the Hackney Gazette, which first reported the story.

Other drivers were refusing to go to certain parts of the borough late at night, one driver, who wished to remain anonymous, told the newspaper.

"People who refuse to go to specific addresses or areas are just getting kicked off by Deliveroo," he said. "They say you have to go there or they'll get an email saying you've been removed from the service."

He claimed that 40 out of 50 drivers in the WhatsApp group now refused to work after 9.30 at night through fear.

Deliveroo disputed the claim, a spokesperson telling The Independent: "The safety of our riders is of paramount importance to us and we will work with the police to help bring anyone who has attacked one of our riders to justice.

"If riders feel unsafe working in a particular area then they are of course able to stop working there and move to any other area. We always advise them to contact the police and us if they feel in danger."

They added: "These are truly shocking attacks and we are working with the authorities to help bring the perpetrators to justice. We are in touch with the rider and will be providing him with support.

“We have been in touch with all riders who were working in these areas at the time of last night's attacks to check whether they were a victim of these horrific crimes and to gather further information that might help the police with their inquiries. We will be meeting with the police and other delivery companies to agree concrete action to keep our riders safe from this senseless violence.”

Although police were informed of the regular moped attacks, drivers in Hackney reportedly felt that not enough was being done to protect them.

Police have so far arrested two teenagers, aged 15 and 16, in connection with last night's attacks which all took place in the neighbouring boroughs of Hackney and Islington.

They prompted calls to change the law to restrict the sale of acid following a recent spike in its use by criminal gangs and individuals with a grudge.