Police swooped on a suspected brothel in Southend and discovered signs women had been selling sex.

A large collection of sex toys, raunchy underwear and a "menu" of explicit services were all found on the premises, in Prince Avenue, Southend, during the raid yesterday afternoon.

Police targeted the suspected brothel, known as A127 Babes, following complaints from nearby residents about large numbers of men visiting and loud noises coming from the property at all hours.

Officers spent the past few weeks gathering information before raiding the premises.

Once inside, they discovered the garage of the house had been converted into a room with a television, linked to a CCTV camera overlooking the front door.

Inside, a ground-floor bedroom boasted "menus" offering a selection of explicit acts ranging from £30 for a "basic service", to £140 for the "babes cocktail".

Police also found a range of sex toys and pornographic videos.

Books containing men's names with amounts of cash written next to them were also found, along with records of a booking for 1.30pm yesterday, which earned £80.

Sgt Tracey Butt, of Southend Police, one of the team on the raid, said: "As a result of complaints, we have had a successful operation by carrying out a warrant to stop the antisocial behaviour of this brothel."

A nearby resident, who did not wish to be named, said he was pleased action had been taken.

He said: "There was always a lot of noise. We would be trying to sleep but you could hear people having sex.

"There were lots of men around. We would hear disgusting noises and were sick of it."

Police visited the A127 Babes website before carrying out the raid.

It gives details of services offered, profiles of women and feedback from customers.

Police discovered a man and a woman at the property during the raid, but no action was taken against them.

Another woman, from Southend, has been arrested by police on suspicion of keeping a brothel.