Safety plea as arrow travels 30ft and hits family's house in Wellington

Mary Shields' husband Paul had just walked out of their back garden, in Steventon Road, Wellington, when the point hit a fascia board at about 5.30pm on Monday.

It had been fired more than 30ft from a neighbouring property in Cranage Street.

Mrs Shield, 61, a retired cleaner, said: "I was inside and my husband was just heading down the path to the road when it happened. He'd only moments before been potting around in the garden.

"When he left my son went to check that the shed door was shut and that's when he saw the arrow flying across our garden. He was absolutely fuming.

"It hit the fascia board on our extension. It had come over from the person's garden, over the top of the trees and down our 30ft-long garden. If Paul had been out there it could have hit him.

"The whole thing's made me really bad. It's affected my nerves and I had to go and have a lie down as a result."

Mrs Shields said the matter had been reported to West Mercia Police who explained to her that archery equipment was being tested by a potential buyer when the incident happened.

"The officers took the arrow when they came.

"I would appeal to people to take care when doing activities in their gardens due to the impact on others," she added.

West Mercia Police's Inspector Mike Phillips said: “We received a call on Monday 18 May from a concerned resident in Steventon Road, Wellington, after an arrow from a bow and arrow struck a wooden fascia board at her property.

“Officers carried out local inquiries and determined that someone nearby had accidentally misfired the bow from the arrow. We gave advice and updated the concerned resident to reassure her that the incident was accidental.”