The 13-year-old came inches away from being struck by what he believes was an air rifle during his terrifying ordeal, and was left shaken and in tears.

The schoolboy, who we are not naming at the request of his parents, cycled off and then bravely carried on delivering the Evening Telegraph after the incident, which happened on Monday, at about 4.30pm, in Sandpiper Drive.

The youngster, of Mary Walsham Close, Stanground, Peterborough, is now too frightened to go back to the area of Park Farm and has had his route changed.

He said: "I looked to my left and saw three boys on skates practising their tricks.



"They shouted out: 'Oi, what are you looking at?' and started following me. I turned round, and they said: 'Just get him'.

"I heard the gun fire. I think it was an air rifle because one of them said: 'you're lucky we ran out of pellets'.

"I cycled off quickly and finished my paper round.

"I was really scared for ages and I'm not going to go down there again."

His shocked father, John Martin (40), said they shouted abuse at his son before firing what may have been an air rifle.

"The first I knew of this was a text from my son asking for help because he was being chased and they had a gun," he said.

"You can imagine how horrified I was. I was on the other side of town, and by the time I got home he was a wreck, sobbing his heart out.

The youths, described as white males, two wearing caps and the other with blond, closely cropped hair and wearing a red top, where on skateboards and rollerblades.

Mr Martin, a mechanical engineer at city firm Baker Perkins, said he felt let down by the police, who took more than five hours to respond to his call.

He said: "If they had been at our house within an hour, my son could have maybe pointed out the attackers, then they could have searched and found the guy with the gun.

"As it is, someone is still going round Stanground with an air gun. Next time, it could be a kid's eye."

A police spokeswoman apologised and said: "At the time of the call about this incident we were dealing with a sudden death, a burglary in progress, a number of domestic incidents and several violent incidents.

"As the victim had not seen an air rifle and was unable to provide a description of the youths involved, it was felt other incidents took priority.

"Investigations into the incident are under way."

It is illegal to carry a loaded or unloaded airgun or imitation firearm in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, and people who do can be prosecuted.