A MAN plunged from a window after returning home to find a masked gunman in his house.

The victim fell about 8ft on to concrete steps, injuring his spine, chest and ribs, as he tried to escape from the robber who had ransacked his home.

He was today recovering from his injuries at Southampton General Hospital, where his condition was described as serious but stable.

Detectives today stepped up their hunt for the gunman who carried out the aggravated burglary at a house in Holland Road, Woolston.

Residents reported seeing a car in the area and a man acting strangely - running and hiding in gardens and then running down the road.

One even called 999 claiming to have seen a man holding a gun and hiding in a garden.

The victim is said to have returned home at about 10pm on Friday when he found the masked robber holding the handgun in his hallway.

Officers say a confrontation took place that went on for some time and ended in the back rooms of the house, where the victim, in his late 30s or early 40s, tried to escape but ended up falling from the window.

The gunman is thought to have run from the house and into a waiting car, which sped off from Obelisk Road.

A team of officers were sent to the scene while the force spotter plane was put up to try and trace the vehicle and any suspects from the air.