Residents in a Perthshire village fear a mystery shooter is on the prowl after a 30-inch arrow was found embedded in a garden.
Joe Toole found the metal-tipped missile in a hedge at his home in Comrie and is worried that one of his neighbours might find themselves a target if the culprit fires again.
Mr Toole’s garden, on Cowden Road, is close to a pathway popular with dog walkers.
The Comrie man, who has four pets of his own, said: “I found it when I was walking the dogs on Wednesday night in a bush at the bottom of the garden.
“I don’t know if it was fired or placed there but it is worrying.
“It’s not got a sharp point but it could be dangerous. There’s a little path there that is often used by dog walkers on the way up to the woods as well.
“Anywhere is a dangerous place to be firing an arrow that’s not a shooting range.”
Mr Toole believes the arrow might have been fired from a field near the top of his garden and hopes it simply went astray during firing practice.
He has not yet contacted the police as he does not believe he has enough evidence of where the arrow came from, or that it arrived there maliciously.
However other residents of the village believe the authorities need to intervene before someone is injured.
Jacquie Hahn said: “A crime has very much been committed.
“You cannot fire arrows willy-nilly in a built-up area, and any practice on public land must be well away from people and protected by using a stop net.”
James Miller also called for the police to be informed, saying an arrow with a metal pointed tip could cause fatal injuries if it hit someone.
“Realistically it shouldn’t be used in the street as it technically a weapon,” he added.
Police confirmed they had not been officially notified of the discovery. However, a spokesman said officers would have to determine how the arrow ended up in a garden before they could say if a crime had been committed.
