A gun seen in a car sparking an armed police swoop on the family inside turned out to be a child's toy.
Firearms teams were called out after a member of the public reported seeing what looked like a weapon in a Colchester road.
Half an hour later officers stopped a car on the A12 at Hatfield Peverel and arrested a 40-year-old man of Clacton on suspicion of having a replica firearm.
But a Colchester police spokesman said the man was released after it was confirmed it was a toy gun which his son had been playing with in the back of the car.
He said: "That's not to say we weren't grateful for the member of the public who reported it but the matter has been clarified.
"The man was released without charge on Friday."
More in today's Evening Gazette
Published Monday, February 21, 2005
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