Man arrested after shotgun fired at house with children inside

A man has been arrested after a gun was shot at a house with children inside. A shotgun was fired at a property in Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire, in the early hours of this morning.

Police said it was 'only a matter of good fortune' that no-one was seriously hurt. Damage to two vehicles and the front window of a property on Monarch Street was reported.

Lancashire Police has traced two vehicles thought to have been used by offenders to Merseyside and Staffordshire, and both have been recovered. A 39-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of firearms offences and is currently in custody.

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Detectives are working to establish a motive for the shooting, with officers trawling CCTV footage and conducting house to house enquiries. Detective Inspector Tracey McMurdo, of Lancashire Police, said: "I recognise the concern this incident will have caused in the local area and while I am pleased that we have made one arrest our enquiries remain at a really early stage and are very much on-going.

"We will not tolerate gun crime on the streets of Lancashire – we have seen in recent days the truly devastating impact such criminality can have, both regionally and nationally, and it is only a matter of good fortune that no-one was seriously hurt in last night’s incident at a site where children and families were present.

"I would appeal to anyone who has any information which could assist us in our enquiries to come forward and contact us."

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

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