“I had returned home with my wife from a party at my next-door neighbour’s house when the shot was fired at about 8.30,” he said.

“It could have hit me. Afterwards, I saw three lads on bikes coming up the pathway beside my house.

“They said they saw a lad aged between nine and 11 go down towards Angus Housing with what looked like an air gun.”

The three witnesses said they last saw the young boy running towards Torwood Place.

“There’s a round hole in the window. The police found the pellet,” Mr Heath continued.

“My wife is very upset and we hope whoever did this gets caught.”

A Tayside Police spokesperson said, “Police inquiries are continuing and we would like to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the incident.

“Officers would particularly like to speak to a boy, thought to be around 10, who was seen acting suspiciously in the area.”

Anyone with information should contact police on 01382 223200.

Earlier this month, an agreement was reached on a UK-wide licensing scheme to clamp down on the sale of air weapons, the details of which will be disclosed in a few weeks.

It is likely the new legislation will see retailers having to obtain a licence for selling the weapons and record the details of every gun and purchaser. It is also possible retailers selling air weapons would require a licence from the police.

A 24-hour “cooling off” period between the purchase and handover of the gun may also be introduced.

This is not the first time Mr Heath’s home has been targeted by vandals. On two previous occasions, the last being around six months ago, he says yobs smashed his windows with stones.

Following Saturday’s incident, Mr Heath telephoned Angus Housing.

He said he was dismayed to hear they would not cover the cost of replacing the window as they have done so previously.

His wife, Valerie, said, “We’ve been told we’ve got to pay for it this time. It happened to one of my neighbours on Saturday night as well — luckily it didn’t break her window.

“It’s getting out of hand.”