DETECTIVES investigating after man was gunned down in Haydock have released a CCTV image of a car it is believed two masked men may have used to flee the scene.

The 44-year-old local man was shot in the legs at 4.40pm on Monday, February 26 on School Street, off West End Road.

The image shows a red Ford Focus, which was seen in the area of West End Road heading towards Clipsey Lane shortly after the incident.

The victim suffered serious injuries.

The investigation is ongoing in the St Helens area and in the Wigan area of GMP.

Detective Chief Inspector Bev Hyland: “This car is key to our investigations, as we believe that those responsible may have made off in the car towards Clipsey Lane".

“We are appealing to anyone who saw this vehicle around the time of the shooting or afterwards to come forward.

“I can assure you that we will act on all information provided, in relation to the car and any aspect of this incident, and something you may think is trivial could be vital to identifying those responsible.

“We are determined to bring those responsible to justice and ensure that St Helens continues to be a safe place to live, work and visit.”

Anyone who witnessed the incident or saw anything suspicious that could help is asked to contact Merseyside Police gun crime hotline on 0800 230 0600, social media desk via twitter @MerPolCC or Facebook Merseyside Police CC.

You can also call 101 quoting log 684 of 26/02/2018 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously, on 0800 555 111 or via their online form at: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/give-information-online/