THUGS with an air rifle took pot-shots at people as they strolled down a busy York street crowded with tourists and children.

Police said today the attacks took place in Pavement between 4.30pm and 7pm on Saturday.

At least two people were hit by pellets from the gun, one a doorman working at a pub and the other a visitor to York with his family who was hit on the finger. Neither was badly hurt.

Bob Wall, who lives in the Foss Islands area of the city, was working the door of The Terrace pub, at the top of Fossgate, when he was struck in the calf. He said: "When it actually happened I brushed it off, but I knew I had been hit by something. It left a mark. I can't actually see it as it's at the back of my leg, but it still stings a bit if I put my finger on it.

"It was mindless stupidity with regard to people's safety, the street was full of children and tourists. If it had caught me in the eye it would have taken it out as they were using the pointed pellets. I found two of them on the floor."

Paul Gardner, the owner of Ginger Taverns which owns The Terrace, said he had been told the culprits were taking pot-shots at people all along Pavement and had been firing the weapon from a flat.

Three people have since been arrested.

Mr Gardner said police had seized a rifle and a large quantity of ammunition from a flat and had found air gun pellets all along Pavement.

He said: "It was York's busiest day on a Bank Holiday and the amount of damage they could have caused people is ridiculous. They were just firing at anything apparently."

A drinker in the pub, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he had gone outside during half-time of a televised football match. He said there was a mother and father with their three children and the father was saying he needed to find a police officer as he had just been shot in the finger.

A police car then happened to drive past and was flagged down and then another arrived.

The witness said: "It was obviously a tourist family, so it's not good for tourism in York."

A spokeswoman for the police confirmed officers had found an air weapon inside a flat and three people had been arrested and bailed to October 12 pending further inquiries.

One was an 18-year-old man, and the others a 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy.

She said: "It would not be appropriate to comment on any specific incident, but air weapons and BB guns continue to be a problem for the police, not only do they cause injury they also cause distress to members of the public."