Dozens of people called the police after hearing automatic gunfire and explosions as scenes from a hostage drama were played out at Shoreham Airport.

Startled residents living nearby were woken by the loud noise on Sunday night, which continued into the early hours of Monday. They had not been warned to expect any noise and many people called the police.

The mystery was only solved when it emerged that a production company had hired the airfield for a remake of the 1977 film Raid on Entebbe.

The film tells the story of an Israeli mission to free 100 hostages from Entebbe Airport, Uganda, in July 1976.

People from Shoreham and Lancing were angry at not being warned about the gunfire and explosions, which were caused by pyrotechnics and fireworks.

Linda Wright, of Upper Shoreham Road, said: "I heard what sounded like gunshots and panicked, it was really quite loud and kept me awake for a quite a while.

"The next day people were talking about it and saying it was firecrackers going off. It's ridiculous really, even if they don't want any publicity for the film they should let people know it is taking place. No wonder some people called the police, it sounded like a war zone."

A number of Rolls-Royce cars were used during the filming and were wheeled out onto the airfield during the night, alongside four-wheel drive vehicles with mounted machine guns.

Peter Godfrey was playing in his band, the Cotton Club Jazztet, in a bar in the airport on Sunday evening.

Mr Godfrey, of Sompting, said: "It was quite exciting as there were lots of military vehicles driving around and searchlights everywhere. I think it's a fairly small production company but it was interesting to watch.

"We played until about 11pm and the noise didn't disturb our show, but I suppose people living nearby should be warned about that sort of noise."

The film, which has been shrouded in secrecy, is expected to be released later this year. It will tell the story of the raid in which Ugandan soldiers and the hijackers were taken completely by surprise when three Hercules transport planes landed after a 2,500-mile trip from Israel.

About 200 elite troops ran out and stormed the airport building. During a 35-minute battle, 20 Ugandan soldiers and all seven hijackers died along with three hostages.

The leader of the assault force, Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu, was also shot dead by a Ugandan sentry. The mission, originally dubbed Operation Thunderbolt, was renamed Operation Yonatan in honour of Netanyahu - elder brother of former Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

The raid continues to be source of pride for the Israeli public, and many of the participants went on to high office in Israel's military and political establishment.

A police spokesman confirmed that a number of people had called in on Sunday night to report the noise. John Haffenden, manager of Shoreham Airport, yesterday refused to comment.