REPORTS of men spraying liquid at pedestrians from a van in Reading town centre have prompted a police investigation.

Conservative councillor Isobel Ballsdon took to social media after she witnessed a driver pull up alongside two female pedestrians in Great Knollys Street and spray a clear liquid at them before driving off.

The Caversham resident, who witnessed the incident on July 22 from her car, was so shocked she immediately pulled over and reported the incident to Thames Valley police.

Cllr Ballsdon said: “The women were shocked and horrified, but I didn’t see them for long so I don’t know if it was just water or something worse that was sprayed on them.

“I saw the driver’s forearm as he held the liquid spray bottle out of his window and sprayed the two women, who were waiting to cross the road on a pedestrian island, after driving past them slowly.”

She added: “They then drove erratically anti-clockwise along the IDR and at the last minute veered across the traffic up to the Castle Street roundabout where they stayed waiting at the lights.”

Cllr Ballsdon said the women sprayed by the driver of the grey Vauxhall van were in their late 20s or early 30s.

She said: “I was just completely taken aback and could hardly believe my eyes and was really quite fearful about what the driver was spraying.

“I know there have been cases of young women having acid sprayed over them, but I really hope it was just water.”

A Thames Valley Police spokesman declined to comment on this specific case but said: “We would encourage anyone who witnesses an incident to report it to us via the non-emergency 101 number.”