Ananova:

An Italian council worker is getting the bullet from his bosses - after he was shot on a hunting trip when he should have been working.

Adriano Germano, 56, an engineer, turned up to work and told bosses he was going out on an all-day job to help fix some water pipes.

But he sneaked off after clocking in to go hunting in nearby forests with some pals - and ended up in hospital for 20 days when a pal accidentally blasted him with a shotgun.

Suspicious bosses in Mallare, northern Italy, called in police when they heard about the injury and discovered what had happened.

Now he's facing jail on charges of defrauding the state.

A police spokesman said: "The man had tried to claim that his injuries were a result of him doing his job.

"But he was a bit stuck to come up with an explanation as to how he had been peppered with shot from a hunting gun while working on pipes."