A man is recovering from emergency surgery for chest wounds after he was gunned down on a Sussex housing estate.

Three gunshots were heard in Ivory Walk, in the Bewbush area of Crawley, at about 8.30pm yesterday.

The 30-year-old victim, who lives locally, was rushed to hospital after receiving treatment at the scene.

The wounded man, who has not yet been named by police, was said to be in a stable condition after surgery.

A spokesman added: "For reasons of security we are not disclosing which hospital the injured man is in."

Three blocks of flats surround the area where the shooting took place.

A woman living nearby said the shooting victim lived in a first-floor flat in one of the blocks.

This morning the area remained cordoned off as scenes of crime officers searched for evidence around a blue Ford Focus.

Police said they were anxious to trace a large, dark coloured saloon seen speeding away from the area towards the A264 at the time of the shooting.

Officers described the estate as a working class area which sometimes had problems with drugs and organised crime.

Few people living in the area were willing to talk about the shooting.

One woman, who did not want to be named, said: "I think it was about 8.30 because I was watching Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?. Three bangs went off and I thought it was only fireworks.

"But I thought I would go and check to make sure. I went upstairs and looked out of the bedroom window and I saw all the police."

She said the windscreen of a parked car inside the cordon had been smashed and she believed it had been shot at.

Another neighbour said: "We heard three loud bangs. It sounded like a shotgun and echoed around but we didn't see anything."

Police have appealed for information. Call 0845 6070999.