A PENSIONER was left bruised and badly shaken after two teenagers shot her in the face with a BB gun and cycled away.

The woman, who has asked not to be named, was outside the front door of her home in Chandler Close, Old Town, when she was attacked at random by the youngsters, who were dressed all in black.

The victim, who is in her 60s, suffered bruising and swelling but did not need hospital treatment. She said the incident could have been far worse.

“I was just lucky I turned away or the shot could’ve hit me in the eye,” she said.

PCSO Matt Dickens, who attended the scene shortly after the attack at 9.40pm on Saturday, said the woman had been badly shaken by the unprovoked incident.

He said: “What seems to have happened is she has come outside in the evening to put her bins out and was pottering around in her front garden.

“She’s looked up and seen two teenagers on their bikes and she saw them shoot something at her. She turned away and it has hit her in the face.

“It seems in my understanding the two kids were just riding past and it was a spur of the moment action – they probably do not realise the impact of what they have done.

“She did not get a good look at who did it or the gun but she said they were dressed in black.

“They both cycled off towards Drove Road immediately afterwards.

“This has had an obvious effect on the elderly resident and is being treated as a serious offence.

“Incidents like this are quite rare, especially in Old Town as there is not normally much trouble around that area.”

Police recovered the yellow plastic ball bearing at the scene but are still hoping to track the pair of youths and the weapon.

This latest attack comes just weeks after Ricky Bird, 22, of St Philips Road was given a 30-month jail sentence for firing an imitation gun at a police officer three times.

When PC Carl Jones and PC Sandra Higgins-Hughes arrived at a house in William Street they were confronted by Bird, who produced a soft airgun and pointed directly at PC Jones.

Bird then pulled the trigger three times but the gun did not discharge any pellets. PC Jones was able to arrest the man and quickly secured the weapon.

Anyone with any information should contact PCSO Dickens on 0845 408 7000 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.