SHOPPERS ran screaming as armed police swarmed over Basildon’s town centre - just hours after a man was arrested for making a hoax bomb threat to a church.

The town centre, outside of St Martin’s Church, was filled by police who appeared to be “shouting at someone” and were “carrying guns” at about 1.30pm yesterday.

Just hours before several police cars and officers and the police helicopter were seen in Church Road, Basildon, where they arrested a man on suspicion of a bomb hoax at The Church @ Swan Mead.

Essex Police were asked to confirm if the two incidents had been linked but did not respond before the Echo went to press.

Natasha Cherie, 26, and her one-year-old daughter Lily, had been in the Basildon Centre in the town centre when the armed officers arrived.

She said: “I was walking out of the front door and at first all I noticed was a lot of shouting.

“I looked to my left towards the church and there was lots of police, I couldn’t even tell you how many there were.

“It looked like they were carrying guns and they were shouting at or about something.

“I started trying to make my way away from it in the opposite direction but we were blocked in by the building work which is going on.

“A police officer came over and started shouting that we had to evacuate the area and wouldn’t stop - it was terrifying.

“We eventually got around the back and all of us were in tears, it was really scary.”

A member of staff from the Towngate Theatre bar said staff were told to “lock the doors” as a precaution.

Another woman, who asked not to be named, saw officers arrive in Church Road at about 10.30am.

She said: “I was putting my son in the car and a police car drove past and stopped just before the bridge.

“As I passed over the bridge there was one police car parked in Swan Mead car park and two more came towards me with the lights flashing and parked in Swan Mead car park.”

A dog walker who lives nearby but asked not to be named, added: “We didn’t really know what was going on. We didn’t see much but a helicopter was up - I think it was the police one.

“It ‘s a bit worrying if they think it was a bomb hoax at a church. Why would someone do that?”

The church was closed to the public while officers searched the area. Enquiries are ongoing.