A man in his 60s accidently shot himself while out pigeon shooting in Arkesden on Saturday.

Police have said the man, from the Enfield area, suffered serious leg injuries inflicted by a shotgun. He was airlifted to hospital by air ambulance.

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said the man, who also suffered a suspected broken leg, had shot himself in the thigh accidently.

An ambulance crew, paramedic in a rapid response vehicle, doctor and ambulance officer were called to the scene in Wendens Ambo, off the B1039, shortly after 1pm on Saturday. The East Anglian Air Ambulance’s Anglia Two helicopter was also scrambled, landing at about 1.30pm.

“A man in his 60s had a gun shot wound to his thigh and a suspected broken leg,” the East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said. “He was airlifted to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.”

The man’s injuries were described as “serious but not believed to be life-threatening”, according to the ambulance service.