Twelve partygoers were taken to hospital with burns after an acid attack in a London Fields nightclub early this morning, police believe.

Two men in their early 20s, thought to have been the targets of the attack, were seriously injured, while 10 others nearby suffered minor burns, Scotland Yard said.

It happened at Mangle E8, just off Mare Street, at about 1.10am. One witness, Phie McKenzie - who was across the road at Martello Hall – tweeted a photograph showing stretchers and firefighters outside the club in Warburton Street.

“Scary scenes in Hackney tonight,” she wrote. “We have heard reports of chemical burns of people in the building here.

“The staff there were brilliant and from what I could see, so were emergency services. Hoping that all affected are OK.”

A police spokesman said: “Officers believe a dispute between two groups of people developed inside the venue, resulting in a noxious substance being sprayed by a male suspect directly at two victims.

“Other people inside the venue suffered the effects of the substance.

“The substance is yet to be identified, but it is believed to have been acidic.”

No one has been arrested. Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or phone Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Mangle E8 could not immediately be contacted. Staff at the club’s sister restaurant Wringer and Mangle said they were unable to comment.