CONCERNED residents living near a mental Health hospital want security measures beefed up immediately.

The calls come after two patients went on the run in a week. One has been found, the other is still at large.

Parents living near Clare House, in Pound Lane, Bowers Gifford, have had enough. They want a high fence put up straight away to stop the possibility of any more patients escaping.

Others have raised concerns over the practice of mental health patients being allowed out into the community on supervised visits.

Their comments come as inmate John Oliver, 68, has still not been found after fleeing from supervisors while on a shopping trip in Basildon town centre on Saturday.

Mr Oliver’s escape came exactly a week after Kristos Sofrianou, 25, fled from the secure unit itself, after scaling a fence. He was on police bail accused of biting and attacking a male nurse.

He was at large for six days, before police tracked him down in Bristol.

Mum Nikki Launder, of Highlands Road, Bowers Gifford, said she often spots the police helicopter hovering above the unit and residents regularly hear about escaped patients or attacks on staff. She said: “On average, we hear the helicopter at least once a week.

“The residents always joke that it’s probably another patient on the run.

“But it’s not really funny. That unit is right by St Margaret’s School and we are all worried about letting our children out.

“We know they have sex offenders and other people like that in there.

“I’d like to see a high fence put up around the unit.”

Another big scare happened in June 2007. Paedophile rapist Patrick Cash, 35, went missing after he managed to give staff the slip during another supervised shopping trip to Basildon town centre.

Cash, who was convicted in 1995 of twice raping a schoolboy, handed himself in after 11 days on the run.

Ron Preston, 72, of Pound Lane, added: “I don’t know why these people are allowed out shopping and on nice little jaunts. This latest incident proves they will escape given the first chance.”

Councillor Malcolm Buckley added he would like a review of the security measues.

He said: “When this unit was first built, there was concern among residents and now it seems the reason for their reservations is becoming clear.

“There doesn’t seem to be a satisfactory answer coming out of Clare House at the moment as to what has been going on.

“This unit has tended to be used as a hospital not a prison, but if there are offenders such as paedophiles being housed there, this raises serious concerns.”

The £8million unit was opened in 2001.

Despite several calls, St Andrew’s Healthcare, which runs Clare House, did not respond to the Echo for a comment.