Witnesses have spoken of their horror as armed police stormed a Basildon street to end a dramatic siege.

Neighbours watched as more than a dozen police officers moved in on a house yesterday (Monday) after a tense stake-out and arrested a man.

Police were first alerted to the drama by claims a man had been seen brandishing a handgun in the Swan pub in Swan Lane, Wickford.

An undercover police car responded and officers discreetly trailed the man back to Long Riding in Basildon. At 6.15pm yesterday they moved in.

The operation, which lasted an hour-and-a-half, involved plain-clothes teams, dog handlers and armed units.

After negotiations directed at one of the houses, a man gave himself up and was taken into custody at Basildon police station.

One witness, who lives opposite the scene, said: "My wife was mowing the lawn and suddenly there were armed police resting on the bonnets of their cars. It was like we were living in New York. I was amazed this could happen on our doorstep."

He added: "There was traffic building up at the bottom of the road and most of the neighbours were standing outside their houses watching.

"Everyone was confused as to what was happening. One officer shouted 'Please come out' over a loudspeaker.

"A woman came out and started talking to the police. Then a man emerged and was taken away."

The witness, who did not want to be identified, said he was concerned to know why police had not informed them of the operation.

Sgt Darren Lewis, of Basildon police, insisted that a number of officers had cordoned off the area as a safety measure.

He added: "I can understand the concerns but we do find that alerting people often has the opposite effect because they tend to swarm around.

"Sometimes it is best to be done short and sharp."

A man has been bailed until June 26 pending further inquiries.

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