A man was shot in the early hours of Saturday as a large group of youths gathered in a possible gang-related incident.

The 24-year-old victim is thought to have been shot in Bridgeman Road, Islington, at about 12.30am before making his way to Caledonian Road, where a shopkeeper rang 999.

He was taken to hospital, where his condition is understood to be stable. No arrests have been made.

The landlady of a pub on the corner of Bridgeman Road and Caledonian Road has criticised police for doing nothing to break up the group when they had the chance.

Eileen Christie, who runs The Prince, said: “There were about 40 or 50 youths on the corner of Bridgeman Road from about 9.20pm.

“I was so concerned I shut the door to my pub on that side to keep my customers in. A police car drove up and officers got out and spoke to two of the youths. Then they drove away and left them there.

“I don’t understand why they didn’t do anything – it was clear to everyone something was going on. They should have dispersed them.

“There was no more police presence in the area after that, and then someone got shot.

“I’m concerned about the gangs, but more concerned about the way commonsense isn’t being used by the police.”

A spokesman for Islington Police said they received no calls from the public, adding: “There were not 40 or 50 youths, more like 10 to 15.

“Officers did stop, but they were not committing any crimes or breaking the law, so there was not really anything we could do.”

In a separate incident on Monday night, police arrested two men while patrolling the Andover Estate, off Hornsey Road, Holloway following reports of “heightened local tensions”.

An 18-year-old was later charged with possession of a firearm while a 20-year-old was charged with assaulting a police officer.

Insp Martin Epps, of Islington Police, said: “It is too early to speculate about the intended use for this loaded firearm, but what we can say is that the streets are a safer place following its seizure.”

Any witnesses or anyone with information about the Caledonian Road shooting should contact Islington Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Anybody with information about people in possession of firearms or drugs should call the same numbers.