LONG-SUFFERING residents have described living near an adventure facility in Nutfield as "unrelenting and intolerable".
Those living close to Priory Farm, off Sandy Lane, have told a planning inquiry how they have continuously suffered noise and disturbance from clay pigeon shooting, paintballing and quad biking on the 250-acre site.
Priory Events Ltd, which hosts the activities for corporate groups, schools or private parties, wants permission to extend the operating hours.
The firm wants the go-ahead to host clay pigeon shooting up to 6pm on Saturdays – compared to the 2pm finish it currently has – and to allow motorised activities on Sundays from 9am to 4pm.
It also wants to move the paintballing site.
The appeal follows Tandridge District Council's refusal of planning permission in June last year.
John Morris, of Fullers Wood Lane, told planning inspector Tim Wood: "I sit on the terrace of my house and to the left is substantially loud clay pigeon shooting, on the right paintballing. It's effectively automatic fire and explosions.
"Between them it's like being in a war zone. It's not acceptable."
Neighbour Simon Newth said: "On a Saturday it's a nuisance. It's noticeable inside and outside the house. To have shooting going on past 2pm on a Saturday would just be intolerable."
Concerns were also raised about quad bikes riding too close to the boundary with residents' homes.
Mr Newth said: "The proximity of the quad bikes is intimidating."
Chris Gibbs said it would be "very depressing" if the hours were extended, adding: "It can only impact in a negative fashion on our environment."
Residents also complained about the noise of the paintballing.
Charles Graham said participants are "heavily armed with noise-making equipment" including guns, smoke grenades and Thunderflashes.
"You can hear all the briefings going on, you can hear every single word from my house," he said. "When they shoot the noise crescendo rises. People all scream at each other. The noise generated from this site is phenomenal."
Landowner Neil Good told the inquiry that measures could be introduced to minimise the noise.
These included placing hay bales in the shooting range, ensuring direction of fire was not at people's homes, using quieter "supersonic" cartridges in the guns and having exclusion zones near boundaries with residential properties.
He added Thunderflashes were no longer sold on site.
The results of the inquiry will be published in about six weeks' time.