Two women were injured by shotgun pellets after a moped rider dropped a firearm while being chased by police.

At 4.55pm on Friday, police officers in Clapham, south London, started chasing a moped with two people on it after it failed to stop.

One of the suspects dropped a shotgun, which discharged as it struck the ground.

Two women, aged 27 and 36, were hit by shotgun pellets and had to be taken to hospital.

“They were not deliberately targeted,” the Met Police said, contradicting a previous statement that the shotgun was fired by one of the people riding the moped.

Moments before the gun fired, the moped collided with a 27-year-old man who had to be taken to hospital for treatment.

All three people who were injured had been discharged from hospital by Saturday afternoon, according to the Met.

The suspects fled and no arrests have been made.

The Met has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and its directorate of professional standards over the incident.

DCI Gemma Alger, of the specialist crime unit, said: “Our investigation to identify the two people responsible is at an early stage, but we will be relentless in following up every line of inquiry to arrest them.

“The suspects fled the scene on foot. Crime scenes remain in place in St Alphonsus Road as forensic searches are ongoing at premises where the suspects made off through gardens.

“The shotgun was recovered from the scene and this will also be subject to forensic analysis.”

Anyone with any information, or evidence, including dashcam or CCTV footage should contact police, she added.