A ten-year-old boy has spoken of his terror after a teenager blasted him in the leg with a ball bearing air gun.

The boy, who did not want to be named for fear of reprisals, was shot with a metal ball bearing as he played with friends in Woodrow Drive, Low Moor.

"Two older lads came up to us. One grabbed my bike from behind and the other pulled out this ball bearing gun and started waving it around, pointing it at my face.

"It was like something out of a gangster movie and I thought it was a real gun at first. I was terrified. He pointed it at my leg from about six feet, said 'This shouldn't hurt' and fired. I was in agony but pulled away and started riding off. He fired again from about 20 feet and left a big dent in my water bottle.

"I had a massive bruise on my leg. It's still sore now.''

The boy's 38-year-old mother said: "He wants to be a pilot but if he'd been hit in the eye he could have been blinded which would have wrecked his chances.

"These things aren't toys, they're weapons. It's terrifying to think children are pulling guns on people. These guns should be licensed so the police know exactly who has them."

Meanwhile a number of motorists told how pot shots were fired at their cars as they sat in traffic on the approach from Toller Lane to Duckworth Lane on Friday.

One driver said: "I suddenly heard something crack against my windscreen. I looked up to a first floor window across the road and saw a man cocking what looked like an air rifle.''

Arif Ayyub, manager of Moes newsagents in Bradford city centre where the air rifles are sold, said: "We only sell them to people over 18. If anyone younger tries to buy one we turn them away. We only sell plastic ball bearings."

A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "The police don't welcome anyone carrying any type of offensive weapon in a public place and will actively prosecute offenders".