A MUM and daughter are fighting for their lives following a brutal hammer attack by a stranger in a south London street.

Joe Xuereb, 27, was arrested on suspicion of two counts of attempted murdered after the two women, 64 and 30, were targeted at Adderley Gardens in southeast London, The Sun reports.

Officers were called at 12.10pm (local time) on Sunday to find the women suffering from injuries “consistent with a violent assault”, Scotland Yard said.

The women were taken to south London hospitals where their condition has been described as critical.

A woman who went to the aid of one of the victims said: “It was horrific. Her face was hanging off, I was trying to put her face back together. They were definitely life-changing injuries.”

She said the suspect was still on the road while she bandaged up one of the victim’s face before adding: “One of the women was choking on her own blood so we sat her up.

“She was in and out of consciousness.”

Another neighbour described the suspect “calmly” swinging the hammer in the street while his victims lay bleeding on the ground.

Police said they received a number of calls after appealing for help in finding the suspect.

They added that one member of the public followed the man in her car until police had detained him.

The two victims are not believed to live locally, and were visiting friends in the area.