A 50-YEAR-OLD man has been shot in a hunting accident.

Police said he was shot in the back from "relatively close range" during an organised pheasant shoot.

He suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital in Birmingham by air ambulance.

The accident happened at 2.45pm yesterday in South Derbyshire.

The person who shot the man has been voluntarily questioned by police and has not been arrested.

The Health and Safety Executive has been informed about the incident.

A spokesman for the police said at this stage it was not a criminal investigation and he would not say exactly where the incident took place.

He said: "At the moment we are treating this as an accident."