POLICE swooped on a well-known Canvey pub and made three arrests after discovering a quantity of cannabis plants.

A drugs warrant was carried out at the Monico pub, in Eastern Esplanade, on Saturday morning, February 9.

The pub is part of the Monico Leisure complex that is also home to Cheeky Monkeys indoor play centre on the seafront and a restaurant.

Derek Gray, director at Monico Leisure, is the freehold owner and said the pub is not leased out to an individual licensee.

He admitted the raid took place and arrests were made, but stressed the plants were not found in one of the firm’s licensed areas.

“The focus of the police inquiries were on a locked up garage in the car park of the pub and not one of our licensed premises,” he said.

An Essex Police spokeswoman said the warrant was executed at about 11.30am under the misuse of drugs act and a quantity of plants, believed to be cannabis, were recovered. She could not reveal a specific number of plants or confirm if they had been found in a garage.

The force spokeswoman said three people, who are all from Canvey, were arrested: a 45-year-old man, a 23-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman.

The trio have been released on bail until May 7 pending further inquiries.