By Sharon Frew, Russell Findlay, Andy McLaren and Polly Bartlett

A mum thought she was going to die after acid was thrown at her face as she answered her door.

Teresa McCann has been left scarred for life after an orange substance was hurled on her doorstep in Edinburgh.

The 37-year-old said her face was melting while she has lost part of her ear and will require surgery following the attack in Gracemount.

"My face was literally melting - the pain was indescribable," she said.

"I really did think I was going to die. There's no motive as to why someone has done this."

The mum, who is still being treated in hospital, broke down in tears as she recalled the horrific assault.

Ms McCann was putting her children to bed when she heard a knock at her door, only to be splattered with acid by a man wearing a balaclava.

She said she thought she was going to be killed during the incident.

Ms McCann said: "A man was stood with a balaclava and he just flung a bottle of orange substance into my face.

"By that time, I was completely just melting, I couldn't see anything, my hair was melting.

"No words describe how I'm feeling. Never in my life did I think something like this would happen to me.

"It's like a nightmare. It's unbelievable this has happened to someone so innocent who hasn't done any harm to anyone in their life.

"For someone to come to your door and be so heartless and fling something like that into your face not knowing if they are going to kill you, blind you, even worse.

"I feel terrible. What has this human being done to me?"

After realising what had happened, Ms McCann quickly ran into the shower while her partner dialled 999.

It is thought her partner was the intended target of the attack.

Ms McCann said even if she isn't physically scarred for life, her brain will always be at the thought of having acid being flung in her face.

"I knew straight away - I knew something wasn't right," she said.

"I was confused. At that time I didn't know what was happening.

"I managed to get into the shower and wash most of it off - but obviously not because I've lost half of my ear, I'm going to get skin graft on my neck and I'll be scarred for life.

"Even if I don't get scarred for life, I'll always be scarred for life in the brain as I'll always get flashbacks to what that man's done."

The attacker is in his early 20s, 5ft 11in, with a slim build and was wearing a dark tracksuit.

His grey hoodie was pulled up and his face was covered.

He was also wearing dark gloves and dark trainers with light reflective sections.

Ms McCann added: "He didn't speak. He just did it the cowardly way - flung substance in my face and ran off."