Thugs hit trendy centre wine bar

And three separate shootings saw a man blast himself in the eye with a gun after discharging it accidentally while answering his mobile phone.

The mayhem erupted in the early hours of yesterday morning at Kipps bar near the Civic Hall, which was packed with hundreds of revellers.

Customers watched in horror as armed men stormed into Kipps in North Street but were forced to ditch their weapons and flee after being foiled by police, who had been on patrol nearby.

Five people, believed to be from the Whitmore Reans area, were arrested following the drama at 1am on Sunday.

Also last night two shots were fired in the Dunstall area. People living in Armstrong Drive heard the screech of car tyres after the blasts at around 8.30pm.

Three hours later gunfire was heard in Sweetman Street, Whitmore Reans.

A summer of shootings has brought terror to innocent Wolverhampton communities as rival groups clash over petty disputes.

In June, shots were fired and a man was stabbed near Netto. Days later, a car chase ended in gunfire near KFC on the Penn Road. More recently bullets were sprayed at a car on the Birmingham New Road hours before a man on a bike was shot in Gibbs Street, Whitmore Reans.

Several people have been charged and police believe personal rivalries, not drugs, have been behind a number of the attacks. Kipps today declined to comment.

West Midlands Police spokesman Steve Garey said: "Officers are trying to trace a number of others who were involved. They ran off towards the subway at Waterloo Road. Several weapons including an iron bar and an axe were recovered from the scene. There were no reports of anyone being injured."

Anyone with information has been asked to contact police on 0845 113 5000.