Families had front row seats when filming for a Blockbuster movie happened outside their front door last night.

Residents of Page Close, in Bean, watched people running through alleyways over and over again and a police car racing up and down their road as filming took place for a new movie by Dartford-born director Andrea Arnold, called Bird.

Mum Fay Armitage, who lives in Page Close, said her three children were excited to see the action up close.

“They loved it. They were watching through the windows and told all their friends at school,” she said.

“They loved seeing the police car again and again. They weren’t scared as they knew it was just for the film, so that made it even better for them.

“They don’t often see police cars racing around in Bean.”

Residents were warned of the disruption when a letter dropped through their front doors telling them filming would be taking place.

Fay said: “It had orignially told us they would be filming from 12pm to 11pm today, but they turned up last night and asked if we would mind them starting last night.”

Trucks and lights pitched up at 9.30pm and stayed for an hour, but Fay said it was not a problem.

“The sirens weren’t on, only the lights,” she said. “They said they add the sirens later. It was just fun.”

As they watched from their window Fay said they seemed to be filming the same scene over and over again.

“We watched quite a lot of people running across the road, through the car park and down the alleyway into a field. They kept doing it.

“Then the car kept going up and down the road loads of times.”

Today Fay said the crew have set up a catering truck by her house, handing out teas and coffees to the actors and have been filming all day in the fields close to The Merry Chest cafe and bar in nearby Watling Street.

“I can’t really see much today as they are right in the middle of the field,” she said.

The filming is for a movie by Dartford-born director Andrea Arnold OBE who won an Oscar for her short film Wasp in 2005.

Fay said she was told the actor-turned-movie-maker wanted to include her home town in her next big screen project and that it was going to be in cinemas.

Bird, the details of which are being kept top secret, was also spotted filming in Gravesend last week.

They are believed to have also set up at The Hive in Northfleet today.