Boy shot in head with airgun as he went to get football

A boy’s skull was fractured when he was shot with an airgun while climbing over a fence to get his football back.

The 11-year-old was playing with friends in the back garden of a house on Roadtrain Avenue in Leyland at about 19:20 BST on Monday when the ball went over a fence.

He was shot in the head as he climbed over the fence, Lancashire Police said.

He was taken to Alder Hey hospital and had to have surgery on his skull, and is now recovering.

Police said they were trying to identify the culprit.

Det Con Paul Brown said: “This incident has left a young boy with some really significant injuries, and it is fortunate he was not more seriously hurt or even killed.

“We are carrying out a number of enquiries to try and identify the person or persons responsible and I would appeal to anyone who saw what happened, has any dashcam or doorbell footage, or who has any information which could assist our investigation to get in touch.

“I’m sure someone in the local community knows who is responsible for what’s happened to this young boy and I would urge them to come and speak to us.”