An eight-year-old boy has died after being shot in the head and face at a farm, with a man under arrest on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

Emergency services were called at around 2.50pm on Saturday to the property in the Warcop area of Cumbria.

A firearm was secured at the scene by police and the child was taken to hospital by air ambulance.

He died overnight having suffered injuries to his head and face.

A man in his 60s was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault.

He remains in police custody and is now under arrest on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.

A resident of nearby Brough told the PA news agency he was driving by the scene when he saw medics, police vans and a helicopter.

Frank Chalmers, 73, said: “I passed the farm at around about 3pm and I saw the helicopter with its rotors stopped and medics marching up the hill, a lot of police, maybe five police vans. One car was parked in the middle of an empty field.

“It all looked very serious. I think with that level of police presence it’s usually a dreadful incident like a death. They don’t usually turn out in that kind of force.”

The retiree said the area is “very, very rural”.