THREE men involved in a shooting at a house in Crewe have received combined jail sentences of nearly 15 years.

Kieran Mellor, 23, Kenneth Stephenson, 24, and Nyle Smith, 24, had been in an altercation with two men outside the property on the evening of Sunday, April 19 last year.

The men first arrived on The Birches in Davenport Avenue shortly after 8pm armed with knives and a wooden plank.

A dispute then took place between the trio and two men, aged 50 and 34.

The three men then left the area and returned at 9.55pm with their faces concealed and armed with a shotgun.

The gun was fired at the 50-year-old but narrowly missed him and instead hit the wall of the house. He escaped injuries, but police launched a manhunt after being informed of the shooting the next day.

Officers from the Local Policing Unit in Crewe and resources from across the force sifted a high volume of information and intelligence as well as wading through CCTV footage.

A number of warrants, supported by armed officers, were executed at addresses on Flag Lane, Derrington Avenue and Fanshaw Walk.

All three men admitted to being in possession of a firearm at an earlier hearing and were sentenced at Chester Crown Court today (Friday).

Smith, of Artle Road in Crewe, was jailed for four years and eight months, Stephenson, of Flag Lane in Crewe, was jailed for five years and Mellor, of Walthall Street in Crewe, was jailed for five years.

Det. Insp Claire Jesson, from Crewe Local Policing Unit, said: "This incident resulted in a large number of officers and staff working around the clock to identify and remove three very dangerous men off our streets.

"These men had access to a viable firearm and showed they were willing to use it.

"Thankfully the intended victim was extremely lucky not to have sustained any injuries after the bullets missed him and instead hit the wall of the house.

"I am pleased they admitted to their crime, which is on the back of the dedication of the investigation team who gathered strong evidence against them."

David Keane, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, said: "I know Cheshire Constabulary worked considerably hard to take these offenders off our streets. This sends a message that gun crime will not be tolerated in Cheshire and anyone using or in possession of dangerous weapons will be brought to justice.

"I want to take this opportunity to praise all the officers involved in this investigation for making the local community safer."