POLICE are investigating after a youngster claimed she was hit in the face by a pellet from a plastic gun, known as a BB gun.

Charlotte Moore, 12, from Stockton, was with a friend at shops in the town's Marske Lane when the incident happened on Monday afternoon.

The youngster was struck on the cheek, below her right eye by the pellet, fired at close range by a teenage boy

Her mother, Allyson, said she dreads to think what could have happened had the pellet hit Charlotte in the eye.

She said: "If she moved that could have been her eye. It is frightening to think people can have these things and just fire them at kids.

"I know BB guns may not kill you, but they could seriously maim people."

Cleveland Police yesterday confirmed they were investigating the incident