Merseyside man treated after being shot in chest
Police have stepped up patrols around Bootle, Merseyside, after a man was taken to hospital with a shotgun wound to the chest.
The 33-year-old called an ambulance to St James' Drive saying he had been shot at about 20:45 BST on Monday.
He was taken to hospital for treatment and his condition is described as serious but stable.
Police are looking into whether the shooting happened near the Bootle canal.
A Merseyside Police spokesman said: "Officers are currently carrying out extensive searches of the area but have so far found no evidence of shots being fired.
"At this stage in the investigation it is not clear where this man was injured, but one line of inquiry is that he was shot near to or on the canal."
It is the latest in a series of shootings in the city. Detectives have said there is an acute gun-crime problem.