A TOWER BLOCK airgun sniper has left a woman needing surgery after shooting her in the back of the head.

The thug has been taking potshots at passers-by after setting up at the window of an apartment in Quantock flats, Chichester Road, Southend.

The culprit fired a series of rounds, embedding one pellet in the head of an unsuspecting 58-year-old woman.

A second victim, a man in his late forties to early fifties, was shot in the shoulder.

A scared passer-by ran into nearby Southend High Street, at about 2pm on Monday, to alert police who were on patrol.

They watched the building to find the trajectory of the shots, before moving in to arrest an 18-year-old man.

He was bailed until March 20 pending further enquiries.