Armed police are searching a house in Heybridge after three people were arrested.

Three people are in custody having been arrested at an address in Hillary Close, Heybridge.

The two men and a woman were arrested just before 7pm last night.

One neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous, described the moment three armed officers stormed his house.

He said: "I was having a phone call in the kitchen with a friend, three armed police came banging through my back gate and kept yelling.

"They kept shouting: 'Keep your arms up where I can see them.

"Obviously they realised I was not the person they were looking for.

"One of them has got on my garden table and chairs and they are pointing guns at my next door neighbour's house.

"The other two went quite quickly and I was screaming: 'Please don't shoot me'

"I didn't know what was going on and I have three children under ten here, but police later apologised.

"They just burst through my back gate, I thought I was going to be shot.

"I was scared out of my wits."

Police closed the road off with between six and eight emergency vehicles at the scene. 

A 37-year-old man of no fixed address was arrested for being unlawfully at large.

A 39-year-old man and a 42-year-old woman, both from Heybridge, were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

In connection with the arrests a search is being carried out at the property today.