A family, including young children, escaped injury when a shotgun was fired at a house on a Bradford estate.

Two shots are thought to have been fired at the house, in Rowton Thorpe, Ravenscliffe , from a car late on Thursday night.

A middle-aged couple and their young grandchildren are understood to have been in the property at the time of the shooting but were unhurt.

Detectives were last night questioning two men in connection with the shooting. A police spokesman said a 24-year-old man from Bradford and a 29-year-old man from Leeds had been arrested yesterday lunchtime and remained in custody.

Police were called, just before 10.30pm on Thursday, to reports of a shotgun being discharged at a property in Rowton Thorpe. The spokesman said no-one had been injured.

Police sealed off the street and cordoned off part of a garden neighbouring the tidy semi-detached house.

The house, which showed no obvious signs of being hit, and a blue Volkswagen Golf car parked outside it, were also behind police tape yesterday morning, guarded by a solitary officer.

Residents at first thought it was children playing with fireworks after hearing two loud cracks at about 10.30pm.

Chris Jefferson, who lives next door to the house, said it was about 20 minutes later when police arrived.

He said: “They were all over the street, knocking on doors asking people if they’d heard or seen anything. They didn’t really know what they were looking for. First they sealed off Romany Shaw, the next street, then they cordoned off here after they found some kind of residue from a gunshot on next door's doorstep.”

Mr Jefferson’s 16-year-old daughter had been out when she heard the shots.

He said: “She came bursting in and told us to look outside. Police kept telling people to stay off the grass. They were looking in everyone’s gardens.”

A police helicopter was also circling above “lighting up the whole street,” said Mr Jefferson.

He said the next door couple, who are in their late 40s, were in the house at the time with their young grandchildren.

“They’re a nice couple. They’ve been here a few years now and we’ve never had any problems. Their grandchildren play round here all the time. I don’t think they had a clue it was their house that had been hit until the police told them.

“They got their daughter to come and get the children.”

Another neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: “It’s scary to think guns are around. There were still kids out at that time of night. They could’ve been hurt.”

Councillor Ruth Billheimer (Eccleshill ,Labour), said: “This appears to have been a drive-by shooting targeted at somebody, so there is no danger to the general public.