A LOUGHTON man who found what he believes to be a bullet hole in his back window has criticised police for "ignoring" the problem.

Ray Morris, of Forest Road, was shocked when he found the two-inch-wide hole in the quarter-inch plate glass window of his back garden workshop.

He reported the incident at Loughton police station, just yards from his house, last Thursday, but said he was still to hear anything.

Mr Morris said: "They've been shouting about zero-tolerance, well I had totally zero response.

"I thought they might at least have come round and checked it. I'm not bothered about the window. I can replace that, it's the event I'm worried about. I don't think an air rifle could have gone through the plate glass like that. It must have been fired from a distance of at least 50 yards.

"Someone out there may have an illegal weapon, but the police don't seem interested.

"Even if they had just made their presence known it might have stopped whoever did it going around firing guns behind people's houses. That's what they're there for, to protect the community.

"It makes me wonder, why I even bothered to report it."

Loughton police inspector Denise Morrissey said she would be looking into the incident.