Daredevil climbers were left bloodied and in agony when a sniper shot them as they scaled the rooftops.

Parkour fans Max Cave, 21, and Luke Harty, 19, were climbing scaffolding in a Sussex market town when they were hit by airgun pellets fired from a nearby window. Mr Cave – who saw the gunman peeking out – was hit first, and when karate champion Mr Harty tried to flee he was also wounded.

The young men, who were joined by three friends on the expedition, had been “free-running” in the historic heart of of Horsham.

Yesterday Mr Cave, who comes from the town, was due to have surgery as the air rifle pellet had imbedded itself in his chest.

Medics told Mr Harty, who was hit twice, it was safe for him to leave the bullets in his bruised body.

Describing what happened on Sunday at 5.15pm in Market Square, Horsham, Mr Cave said: “We were climbing around and I saw this guy at a window. “I said, ‘we should get down’.

“I was on the lower level when I suddenly heard a loud bang.

“I felt a sharp pain but I didn’t know what it was.

“Then I saw the guy was holding a gun and I ran off.”

Mr Harty joked: “I’ve lived in Horsham all my life and it is normally so quiet.”

The pair are part of the dare-devil group of thrill seekers who have been scaling buildings and scaffolding in Sussex.

The parkour freerunners were featured in the paper a month ago, when their exploits were branded the “height of stupidity”.

Describing the incident, Mr Harty added: “On Sunday we had just climbed up scaffolding and I was taking some photos of the view when I saw Max had just been shot in the abdomen.

“I was trying to climb down the scaffolding and as I was climbing down I was saying, ‘don’t shoot’ – but he did.

“I had a shirt on and the pellet went through that and it was very painful.”

Mr Harty, who also works at Sainsbury’s, is heading to Japan for a month today.

He said: “The bullets are staying in there which kind of sucks.

“It will be hard going through customs when I am beeping.”

A Sussex Police spokesman said: “A man was arrested after a group of young men freerunning in Horsham reported being hit by air gun pellets.

"Police were called to the scene and quickly identified a 47- year-old man from Horsham who was arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm.

“An air rifle was removed from a nearby address.

“Two of the men were taken to the East Surrey Hospital for treatment to wounds caused by the pellets.

“The man remained in custody on Monday morning.”

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