A leather jacket saved nightclub bouncer Peter Sheridan's life after he was blasted at point blank range with a shotgun.

Mr Sheridan is under police guard in a safe house at an undisclosed location following the attack outside his home in Aberford Road, off Whetley Lane, Girlington.

Detectives believe his attacker lay in wait for more than half an hour in the garden of number 6 Aberford Road before he stepped out behind his victim and shot him in the back.

Detective Inspector Sheridan Moore, of Bradford North CID, said the gunman might have shot Mr Sheridan again had his 19-year-old girlfriend, Victoria Harland, of Lidget Green, not been walking behind him.

The 31-year-old victim, who works at the Priory nightclub in Lidget Green, suffered pellet wounds to his back but still managed to call an ambulance with his mobile phone as he writhed in agony on the floor.

His injuries were not life-threatening and he was released after treatment at Bradford Royal Infirmary on the same day of the attack.

Det Insp Moore said: "We think that the shot that has been used is quite small in weight and diameter. It's like something you'd go rabbit hunting with.

"Because the leather jacket was quite thick it absorbed a lot of the shot, although many pellets still went through and into his back.

"We did recover some pellets at the scene and they've been sent off for forensic examination.

"From what we have been told, it would appear that the gunman was startled when he saw the victim's girlfriend.

"He ran off but obviously had she not been there the consequences could have been far more dire for the victim and we could have been looking at a murder inquiry."

The detective said there had been a good response from the public for information about the shooting which happened at 3.30am on Saturday.

He said: "We have received phone calls from the public as a result of the appeal in the Telegraph & Argus but we are still keeping an open mind about the motive.

"There is nothing from the inquiries we have done so far to suggest that the shooting was in anyway related to his employment with the priory nightclub."

Anyone with any information should call police on (01274) 376085 or 376059.