Two men are in police custody after officers recovered a weapon in the undergrowth near Grays town centre.
Essex Police's dog section were called to a disturbance in Grays on Monday night and the two men were detained.
A property was then searched by Police Dog Tex who located and indicated a discarded imitation firearm in the undergrowth nearby.
Both men were then arrested and taken into custody.
The imitation firearm, which looks alarmingly like an automatic weapon, was photographed and taken for forensic examination.
Essex Police has been contacted for comment.
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