Two men were seriously injured yesterday morning after what witnesses said was a double shooting sparked by a crash between two cars being raced around town.

Police arrested six men after the incident in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire.

Eyewitnesses said that cars had been racing around the town when one rammed into another. One resident said that all the occupants got out armed with weapons and, in the ensuing stand-off, two were shot. One was also attacked with a hammer.

The victims were being treated in Lister Hospital, Stevenage, last night and their conditions were described as serious but not life-threatening.

A taxi-driver, who asked not to be named, said that one of the injured men had been shot in the face three times. He said: “One of the blokes said he was going to shoot the other and the other one said, ‘Go on, then.’ And he did, three times.”

Witnesses said that after the incident, shortly before midday, a bus driver stopped his vehicle to block off the road until the police arrived to arrest the men.

Police cordoned off several roads after the double-shooting. Yesterday afternoon they removed a metallic green Volkswagen Golf and a silver Passat from the scene. A resident, who did not want to be named, said he heard that the shooting happened because of a dispute over a car stunt. He said that a group of men had been racing cars around the town when one vehicle hit the other near a garage on Pixmore Avenue.

Rachel Wilding, who lives opposite the scene of the shooting, said that she heard four gunshots. She then saw one man lying on the street and being attacked by another man with a hammer.

She said: “I saw kids all congregating around the injured people. One or two people were hysterical. The guy that had been shot, he was just lying on the ground. He looked quite lifeless.”

Assistant Chief Constable Gary Kitching, of Hertfordshire police, said officers were confident that no one else was involved in the incident.

He said: “I certainly believe that a gun was involved. It was a disturbing incident but I stress it is an isolated group of people. We are confident we are dealing with everybody in the incident.

“There is no significant problem with gangs and drugs in Letchworth. This is a very safe county and this is a very unusual incident.”

A spokeswoman for Hertfordshire police said that weapons were recovered from the scene, adding: “Three men have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder and two people have sustained serious injuries following a shooting incident which happened at Boscombe Court, Letchworth Garden City, this morning.

“Although police are seeking witnesses and information about the incident, officers are confident there is no one outstanding in relation to what is an isolated dispute.”

Residents said they were shocked that the incident occurred in such a quiet area, which they said did not have a problem with gangs.

Mrs Wilding said: “There’s lots of kids live up this road - toddlers. It’s shocking. I was really upset by it.”

Assistant Chief Constable Kitching could not confirm whether the incident was drugs-related or how many weapons had been recovered from the scene. He said he believed that all those involved were now in custody.

Oliver Heald, the local MP, said: “It is very rare for there to be shooting incidents in northeast Hertfordshire, and it is therefore very worrying to hear the news.”

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