A HAMPSHIRE mum today called for ball-bearing guns to be banned after being shot in the leg by a child while out shopping.

Carer Jayne Greaves, 37, was buying knitting needles for an elderly client when she was targeted at close range in Southampton.

The married mother-of-five had been about to go into a haberdashery shop in Burgess Road when she felt a sharp sting on the back of her left leg.

She turned around to see two boys aged about 11 or 12, one of whom was brandishing what appeared to be a chunky pistol.

Brave Mrs Greaves challenged the pair, who told her they had bought the weapon at a local fair.

She tried to persuade them to hand over the gun but they ran off after she told them she was calling the police.

Speaking from her home in Hedge End, Mrs Greaves said: "I had just put my hand on the door handle of the wool shop when I felt a sting on my leg.

"It felt like a bee sting. I then saw two boys about two metres away from me. One of them had a full-size gun in his hand."

Mrs Greaves, who works as a carer for Southampton based First Choice Homecare, said: "It really hurt and left me very shaken.

"Anyone who says BB guns are harmless is lying. I think they should be illegal.

"In my opinion, they should be banned. I didn't realise kids could get their hands on this sort of thing so easily.

"I think any parent who finds their children with one should take the gun straight to their nearest police station."

Mrs Greaves, a former Territorial Army chef, was left with a sore mark on her leg but did not require medical treatment.

An asthmatic, she needed a large puff on her inhaler after the attack, which happened about 11am yesterday.

She said she had seen weapons in the past - during her time with the TA - and the BB gun had looked exactly like the real thing.

After the incident, the two boys ran off down nearby Broadlands Road.

One wore a white tracksuit with hooded top while the other had dark clothing.

Police said an orange pellet had been recovered outside the shop. Officers searched the area but no one was arrested.

Hampshire police spokesman Ian Sainsbury said: "We are very keen to find any witnesses to what happened.

"This was obviously a very dangerous thing for anyone to be doing. Besides causing pain to this lady, those responsible risk being at centre of a major police operation if the gun is mistaken for the real thing."

Any information to PC Rob Giles at Totton police station on 0845 045 4545 or the anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.