A MAN being watched by police tried to get rid of a metal hammer by throwing it into a bush - only to see it bounce back and land at his feet.

Officers were patrolling Festival Leisure Park, in Festival Way, Basildon, after they were called to deal with an earlier assault.

While they were there, they helped break up and calm down a disturbance outside Chicago's nightclub.

One of the men walking away from the nightclub was spotted by officers taking a large orange tool out of his hooded top, before he tried to the throw it into a nearby bush at about 2.30am on Saturday, April 20.

But in the bungled attempt to hide the hammer from police, it bounced backwards and came to a rest by the man's feet.

Officers saw it was large mallet and arrested a 28-year-old man from London on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon.

He was interviewed at Basildon police station and given a police caution.

PC Marek Jaworski, from Basildon Police, said: "The police were in a marked police car dealing with an unrelated assault, which had happened earlier in the evening.

"Then they noticed that there was a disturbance outside a nightclub. There was nothing further for the police to deal with other than to move the people on to stop it from getting out of hand.

"While they were doing that they were keeping an eye on one man who was moving away from the group.

"One of the officers saw him remove something from his hooded top and hold it down to his front while he had his back to them.

"He came to a bush in front of a restaurant and tried to throw it but it hit the bush and came to a rest at his feet.

"Officers saw that it was a bright orange mallet and detained him because there was no reason for him to have it."

A secure knife amnesty bin was installed opposite the Chalvedon Social Club, in Chalvedon Square, Pitsea, following the fatal stabbing of Darren Kelly in October last year.

Anyone with information about people carrying weapons in the streets can call Essex Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.