Boy, two, shot with air rifle

A two-year-old boy who was shot in the neck with an air rifle was being treated in hospital today.

The toddler was hurt when the gun was fired in his family home in Winthorpe, Skegness, in Lincolnshire yesterday.

It is believed the person who shot the gun did not know it was loaded.

The child was taken to Skegness Hospital but was later transferred to Glenfield Hospital in Leicester, where medical staff were battling to remove the air rifle pellet from his neck without harming him further.

A 29-year-old man from Winthorpe has been arrested, Lincolnshire Police said.

A spokeswoman said: "This incident was reported shortly before 7pm on August 16 from an address in Winthorpe in Skegness.

"A two-year-old boy received an injury from an air rifle and was taken to Skegness Hospital. He has since been transferred to Glenfield Hospital in Leicester where he will undergo surgery."

The boy's injury is not thought to be serious.