Observant residents and passing motorists are speculating as to just what film bosses are doing with a crane in the grounds of Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden.

Few will have missed the towering structure, which appears to have a ladder leading down the side.

Those believing it is being used for a high octane sequence in the new Tom Cruise movie All You Need Is Kill will be disappointed, however.

Rachel Parsons, Warner Bros. spokesman, said the item on the crane is actually part of one of the studios’ buildings, and the crane itself is being used for building work.

She said: "As part of the ongoing refurbishment of the flight shed, the overall external cladding is being replaced.

"Permission was granted for these works by both Three Rivers district and Watford borough councils in August of this year."