A MAN is in hospital after he was shot in his car outside his home.

The 34-year-old was gunned down at point blank range around 7.30am on Thursday morning.

He was targeted with a shotgun as he sat in the driver's seat of his Peugeot 206 motor which was parked in Lorne Street in Hamilton, Lanarkshire.

The man - who has not been named -  was bundled from his vehicle into another car and taken to Hairmyres Hospital in East Kilbride by relatives.

Emergency services were not called and police were alerted by medical staff at the hospital who were treating the victim.

Officers were sent to the scene and the area was cordoned off and and forensics experts were combing the area for clues.

Motorists were being diverted from the area around the shooting which happened in a quiet street close to a sheltered housing complex.

Last night police sources revealed the incident could be linked to a feud.

One said: "Whoever the gunmen were, they knew who they were looking for.

"It's clearly been planned by the way it's been carried out.

"It's only by luck the victim wasn't killed.

"But we don't expect this to be over and there could be more to come."

The shooting - which happened as commuters were making their way to work - has shocked locals.

But last night one woman - who asked not to be named - said she believed it was linked to a incident involving a gang attack earlier this month.

She said: "I don't know who lives in that house but it is clear they have been targeted for a reason.

"Just a couple of weeks ago a van pulled up outside and several men wearing balaclavas jumped out and headed for that house.

"There was some sort of incident but I didn't hear anything else about it.

"But now that someone has been shot sitting in his own car I can't believe it was just a coincidence.

"It's shocking and no one can believe this could happen on their own doorstep."

Joan Gallacher, 68, said the street where the shooting happened had a high percentage of elderly residents.

Mrs Gallacher, who has lived on Lorne Street for the past four years, said: "The street is full of pensioners and sheltered housing.

"Over the past year different people have been coming to live in this street and it has caused real concern.

"I have noticed people coming and going from those flats at all times in the day.

"We are living in fear but to find out that guns are now being used is frightening.

"You hear about stuff like this in other areas but you don't expect it to happen in your own street."

Last night a Strathclyde police spokeswoman said: "A 34-year old man was seriously injured in an alleged firearms incident in Lorne Street, Hamilton, at around 7.30am.

"He has been treated for his injuries at Hairmyres Hospital.

"Inquiries are continuing."