Colleagues have paid tribute to a Marlow carer who died this week after suffering “serious” burns when she was “caught up” in a daylight fight in High Wycombe.

At 4.48pm on June 3, Joanne Rand was sitting on a bench in Frogmoor when she was sprayed with a chemical, believed to be an alkaline substance, after a group of men allegedly became involved in a fight.

Joanne was rushed to Stoke Mandeville Hospital with serious burns and later discharged. However she was readmitted on Friday and sadly passed away five days later.

A murder investigation was launched yesterday (June 15) and police have now issued a fresh witness appeal in a bid to find the bottle containing the liquid believed to have been kicked over the 47-year-old.

The tragedy comes five years after the family lost teenager Charlotte Pitwell who was killed in a horror crash after an 89-year-old man drove the wrong way down a dual-carriageway and hit the car she was in.

Marlow’s Sir Aubrey Ward House care home, where Joanne worked, has paid tribute to the “kind and caring person” and “much loved member of our team”.

Tributes have also poured in on social media, with Charlotte Daisy Smith posting: “My thoughts go out to her family at this incredibly difficult time.”

An 18-year-old man from London was arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning GBH on Tuesday and was released under investigation while enquiries continue, police say.

Xeneral Webster, 18, of Westway, Hammersmith and Fulham, London, was charged on Tuesday with one count of robbery in connection with the incident.

The teen appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday and was remanded in custody as the investigation continues.

Police are urging residents to be on the lookout for a white bottle, which may have been discarded in or with a dark coloured shoulder bag.

If anyone sees the bottle - which is white with an orange or red hazard label on the side - they are being asked not to touch it but call police immediately.

Senior investigating officer Detective Superintendent Paul Hayles said: “A team of detectives is continuing to investigate this incident and carry out enquiries.

“I would like to appeal to the public, particularly those who live or work between Frogmoor and the railway station in High Wycombe, to be aware of the bottle photographed which may have been discarded possibly in or with a dark coloured shoulder bag in the area.”

Supterintendent Ed McLean said residents should not be concerned if they notice an increased police presence in the area.

 Call 101 if you have any information or speak to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.