An airgun pellet that smashed through the front window of an Abingdon pub damaged a 100-year-old etched window and scattered glass over the floor.

The front bar of the Brewery Tap in Ock Street contained only a few customers at the time and no-one was hurt.

Landlord Keith Heritage said: "Had the bar been much busier someone could have been injured. It's senseless vandalism. It has damaged one of the oldest windows in the pub, but we hope it can be repaired."

Landlady Marilyn Heritage was behind the bar with her son Matthew early on Saturday evening.

She said: "We heard a bang like a light bulb exploding and wondered what had happened. It was frightening. Luckily, no-one was hurt."

It is believed that the airgun was fired by someone in a passing car. The pellet, which left a hole in the glass nearly the size of a 5p piece, may have embedded itself in wooden panelling near the bar.

The etched and partially opaque window is one of the originals in the Victorian building, once part of the Morland Brewery. It features a circular motif with the words "Morland&Co Limited", and underneath are the words "Brewers and Spirit Agents & Aereated Water Manufacturers".

The Brewery Tap incident is one of several in Abingdon believed to involve the use of airguns or catapults. The front window of Stokes China Parlour in Stert Street was broken recently by what is thought to have been an airgun pellet.