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Three armed gangland “soldiers” suffered a serious defeat at the hands of police when they tried to carry on a blood feud with rivals in a crowded gym.

A court heard that the trio barged into the weights room and punched a member of an opposing gang, before threatening him with a sub-machinegun in front of shocked onlookers.

But the members of Manchester's Gooch Close gang did not realise uniformed police officers were next door in the leisure centre, giving a talk on the dangers of gun crime.

Alerted by other gym users, the officers called in an armed response unit. They caught the gangsters, who had fled in a getaway car, after a brief chase through nearby alleyways in the Whalley Range district of the city.

Senior police officers said the arrests in July were a significant victory over a gang that has terrorised South Manchester for the past two decades.

At Manchester Crown Court, Antonio Wint, 21, was jailed for an indeterminate period after he pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm, the Czech-made Scorpion machinegun, with intent to endanger life.

His accomplice, Andre Marshall, 22, was jailed for seven years after pleading guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm and assault.

A 17-year-old, who accompanied the men but who cannot be identified, pleaded guilty to violent disorder and was ordered to complete a community punishment sentence.

The Gooch, as they are known, have long vied for supremacy, and the right to run drugs, with rivals the Doddington gang and the Longsight Crew.

They have been implicated in the unsolved murder of a 15-year-old schoolboy called Jessie James in a Moss Side park in September 2006 and have been blamed for other deaths and dozens of shootings.

The court was told that the trio singled out Soloman Sullivan, 23, in the weights room of Moss Side Leisure Centre because he was involved in a feud with Wint. They hit him several times before cocking the 9mm machinegun and pointing it at Sullivan as if to shoot him. Instead, he was pistol-whipped with the weapon.

The gunmen made their escape in a green Subaru but were spotted leaving an address in Whalley Range about 20 minutes later. As police gave chase, Wint was seen throwing a plastic bag over a nearby wall. The gun was discovered inside later.

Passing sentence, Judge Anthony Gee, QC, told them: “The victim must have been absolutely terrified and feared he might be shot. This weapon was small and compact, yet capable of being fired to deadly and devastating effect.

“This court has often said that the conviction of anyone for firearms offences must expect long sentences in custody to deter others who may be minded to commit similar offences.”

After the hearing, Detective Sergeant Rick Collins said: “These three offenders armed themselves and walked calmly into a busy gym in the middle of the day with no regard for people's safety.

“Their arrogance is astonishing, but we have proved they are not above the law, and our streets are safer now they are in jail.”

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