Two men shot in bootleg beer feud

Two men were shot yesterday in what detectives believe could be a feud over bootlegged beer, as record numbers of day-trippers crossed the English Channel to fill their cars with cheap continental alcohol.

Two shootings happened within minutes of each other in Dover, Kent, in the early hours, with one man suffering gun- shot wounds to the leg, the other to the back and shoulder.

Both men, believed to be in their forties, were being kept under police guard at an un-named Kent hospital, although their injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.

A police source said: "We believe this is the result of a long-running feud between two rival gangs of bootleggers. There is a lot of money involved in the illegal trade of bringing cheap beer and wine into the country over the Channel from France."

An estimated 400,000 Britons were expected to travel to France over the bank holiday weekend - and to return with car-loads of beer and wine.