FEARS are growing in a community after armed police carried out a raid and arrested a suspect on suspicion of possessing a gun.

Essex Police officers arrested a man during an armed raid that took place on Saturday night.

The 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of firearms after intelligence singled out the address in the Knares, Basildon.

Upon searching the property, a number of cannabis plants were also found within the property.

The suspect was further arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis.

A resident of the Knares, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I saw the police taking plant pots out of the house.

“The pots had canes in them which looked like they could have been used to support a plant. One of my neighbours also said that they could smell cannabis.”

The armed arrest took place at 9:40pm on Saturday, but police presence remained throughout the following day.

One woman who lives on the road said: “I didn’t see anything on Saturday night, but when I got up on Sunday, the police were still there.

“They stayed quite a while. There was a van and two police cars that were up and down the road all day.”

The incident has sparked fear among neighbouring residents and the wider community.

Resident Jack Phillips, who lives near to the Knares, said he is looking to move because of a growing fear of crime.

The 35-year-old construction worker added: “It just seems to be getting worse and worse.

“There’s a school just down the road. I can’t believe there was an armed raid because they thought someone might have a gun. It’s like being in London.

“Then the other day I saw that someone had been robbed at knifepoint. It’s ridiculous.

“How can we be expected to walk the streets with all this going on? I’ve been thinking about moving for a while and it doesn’t seem there is much reason to stay.”

Essex police have since released the man who is still under investigation.

The arrest marks the second case of its type in the Knares area in just over two years.

In October 2016, a man and a woman who lived just off the road were taken into custody after police uncovered a cannabis factory in their home.

Anyone who has information about the incident should contact Essex Police on 101 or independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.