THREE teenagers - one aged 14 - have been charged with attempted murder after a 17-year-old boy was shot in Prescot.

A 17-year-old boy was shot in the abdomen on Station Road at 4.50pm on Monday, January 20 and continues to be treated in hospital.

This afternoon police have charged a 14-year-old boy from Prescot, a 15-year-old boy from Huyton and a 16-year-old boy from Huyton with attempted murder, Section 18 Assault, possession of firearm and possession of a bladed article.

A 15-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy, both from Dovecot, have been released on conditional bail.

The three teenagers will appear in South Sefton Magistrates' Court in Bootle tomorrow, Saturday, January 25.

Detective Inspector Sabi Kaur, from Merseyside Police's Firearms Investigation Team, said: “I want the people responsible for firearms discharges in Merseyside to know that there is no place to hide. We will come and find you.

“Guns have the potential to blight areas and cause fear and concern for the law-abiding families living in our communities - but we will not let them.

“I want our communities to know that we will do everything in our power to bring criminals to justice and we will act on local intelligence to build pictures of offenders, monitor their movements and disrupt their illegal activities.

“With the support and help of the public I really believe that we can make a difference.”

Anyone with information on gun crime or where guns are being stored can contact police directly via @MerPolCC, by calling 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or report online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously with reference 20000043257.