A FIREFIGHTER who was shot at by a young thug today urged parents to ban their children from using ball-bearing guns.

Sub Officer Tony Ashworth was hit by a ball-bearing bullet, fired by a boy aged between 12 and 15, as he was tackling a bonfire in Brookway, off Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn.

His helmet deflected the bullet from a so-called BB gun, but he said that his career would have been over if it had hit a few inches lower and he could have been blinded.

Sub Officer Ashworth, who lives in Burnley but is based at Blackburn, added: "It is the way society is going when firefighters are shot at.

"That sort of thing is rare, but occasionally it does happen.

"We have got a bit streetwise as to how to handle it. But it was fired at me from 50 yards so if it can travel that far, it can have your eye out.

"It was quite serious, and certainly the parents need to reflect on these BB guns. Although they are available legally, they are capable of inflicting a serious injury."

BB guns, which are often exact replicas of genuine firearms, are widely available and can range from firing plastic pellets to gas cylinder-powered ball bearings.

Sub Officer Ashworth, who was in charge of the operation to tackle the fire on Tuesday evening, said he realised immediately it was a BB gun because of the noise.

He said: "The crews were tackling the fire and I was watching them. I heard a rush of air, like a bullet would make, then something hit me on the helmet.

"I saw some youths and one with a handgun. I did not panic as I am paid to keep calm. I told the firefighters to pull their visors down and cover their eyes.

"Once they did that there was no great danger. The helmet was not dented. They are pretty substantial and designed to stand up to a building collapse."

Sub Officer Ashworth was interviewed by police yesterday as police seek to trace the boy.