A woman will require plastic surgery for serious burns after she sat on a New Zealand public toilet smeared with an unknown chemical, media reports. The woman was one of four to suffer burns from the chemical, which had been smeared on seats and other areas in a public toilet in a park in the city of Christchurch, in the early hours of Saturday, the New Zealand Press Association reported on Saturday.

?It appears that a clear, gel-like substance had been smeared on the toilet seats, press-down buttons and on the building?s walls,? said Senior Sergeant Neru Leifi.

A sample of the chemical had been sent for analysis. Three of the women were treated and discharged but the fourth was still in hospital, a police officer told Reuters. A fire brigade hazardous chemicals unit was called in to remove the chemical.