Police are hunting a masked gunman who fired a shotgun into the front door of a young mum’s house.

The mother and her toddler son escaped unhurt. The gunman fled in a speeding car seconds later.

Neighbours of the semi-detached house in Musgrave Grove, Eccleshill, Bradford, said there had previously been incidents of damage to a car belonging to the woman.

Police said it had been a targeted attack.

Yesterday, the red brick and pebbledash house, at the end of the cul-de-sac, appeared to be empty and was surrounded by blue and white police tape.

A dozen search officers combed the garden on their hands and knees for clues to the shooting.

A 70-yard section of pavement and grassy bank on the adjoining Leeds Road was also cordoned off with further searches for evidence taking place.

One neighbour, Helen Tummons, 28, told how she heard a “loud bang, like a firework” shortly before 11pm on Monday.

She said: “It was really loud. Seconds after the bang we heard a car speeding off down Leeds Road. It sounded like it was going fast. You could hear the wheels spinning and it literally roared past.

“We moved here a year ago because it is such a quiet area. You don’t expect something like this.”

An elderly woman neighbour said a young Asian woman lived in the targeted house with her young son. She said: “The woman is aged about 20. She has lived there since last summer and seems a pleasant young lady who is nice to talk to.

“She is a single parent with a lovely little kid of two and a half or three who is a little chatterbox.

“The woman has also had her car windscreen damaged on a couple of occasions.

“I was in my house when I heard a bang, like a dull thud. I thought it was fireworks. It used to be quiet round here, but it isn’t any more.”

Chief Inspector Dan Greenwood said: “We received reports that a man wearing a balaclava fired this weapon at the address in what we believe is a targeted attack.

“The use of firearms will never be tolerated in our communities and we are placing full resources into bringing the individual responsible to justice.

“We recently removed four guns from the streets of the Bradford district, under Operation Sabredale, and this underlines our determination in confronting this type of behaviour.”

Anyone with information about the incident should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555111.