ARMED police sealed off a Monmouth street yesterday after a Newport delivery driver was apparently shot in the shoulder by an air rifle.

The 42-year-old Parcel Force driver, who has not yet been named, was making a delivery to a Monmouth industrial estate yesterday afternoon when the incident happened.

A witness said the injured driver told him he heard a bang as he was driving out of the Wonastow Road West estate at around 2.50pm, then saw that he was covered in blood.

Armed police sealed off the area around Wonastow Road in the south end of Monmouth town for a number of hours.

Two men in their early twenties were arrested in connection with the incident and later released on police bail pending further inquiries.

Kevin Pritchard, 42, of Wonastow Road Filling Station, helped the injured driver when he stumbled into the garage.

"He came in holding his shoulder asking where the nearest hospital was," said Mr Pritchard.

"He said he had been shot and I looked and saw blood pouring out of his right shoulder.

"My mother-in-law Diane Phelps, a nurse, took a look and said he had been shot with an air rifle. The pellet was still in his shoulder."

Mr Pritchard said the driver did not even realise he had been shot at first. "He told me he heard a 'loud pop' driving out of the estate but didn't think about it. Then a few yards up the road he saw the blood.

"We were all shocked. You don't get this sort of thing happening in Monmouth."

The man was taken to Abergavenny's Nevill Hall Hospital with minor injuries but later released. Gwent Police control room Inspector Mike Fleming last night confirmed two men were arrested.