Latest news with #beachhuts
Telegraph
27-05-2025
- Climate
- Telegraph
Watch: Fire destroys Bournemouth beach huts
Popular beach huts on the seafront in Bournemouth have been destroyed in a mystery overnight blaze. Despite the efforts of fire crews to bring the flames under control, six huts were razed by the fire with others damaged. An investigation is now under way, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said. A video of the fire taking place. Credit- Mark King. @Bournemouthecho — Jess Skelton (@Jess_Journo_) May 27, 2025 The blaze broke out shortly before 1.20am in Undercliff Drive on Tuesday and raged until it was doused by 2.50am by firefighters. Footage circulating on social media shows enormous flames engulfing the beach huts as clouds of smoke rise. Emergency services can be seen spraying water on the fire as blue lights flash in the distance in the face of the flames. Residents living nearby who were in danger of being affected by the smoke were advised to keep their windows and doors closed. The huts are believed to be owned and rented out annually by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council. They are extremely popular with tourists and residents and a key staple of the promenade at the resort, which boasts seven miles of sand. Britain's oldest public beach hut, which has been recognised with a blue plaque, was also badly damaged but is still standing. It was built in 1909 by borough engineer F P Dolamore. A spokesman for the fire service said: 'We were called to East Beach, Undercliff Drive, Bournemouth at 1.20am this morning for a fire involving multiple beach huts. 'Crews attended from Springbourne, Westbourne and Redhill Park, together with the aerial ladder platform from Westbourne. They found nine huts well alight, as well as an area of cliff approx 25m x 15m. 'Two main jets and four hose reel jets were used to extinguish the fire, and the stop was at 2.50am. 'The scene was handed over to BCP council, and investigations will continue today into what caused the fire.' The huts, near Bournemouth Pier, attract huge rental fees each year and there is a waiting list to take one on when available. It was not yet known whether the fire was suspicious.
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Beach hut owners at war with 'greedy' council after rent rockets by £200 despite being flooded HALF the year, the sea being too dirty to swim in... and a seawall blocking their view
With its sandy beach and fantastic views of sunsets across the Wash, it's long been a popular place for people to relax and forget about the cares of the world. But the seaside village of Heacham in west Norfolk is now the scene of rising tensions between its beach hut owners and the local council. The owners claim their huts are furious at 'outrageous' annual ground rents that have soared 37 per cent in three years to £730. This is despite them being advised not to swim in the sea because of the appalling water quality, according to the Environment Agency, while flooding means the huts also can't be used for six months of the year. The increases have left many deciding to sell up with 11 of the village's 100 huts on the market, priced from £8,950 to £25,000, according to Rightmove. But West Norfolk Council's policy of charging a £2,000 transfer fee on each beach hut sale to fund the drawing up of a new lease - in addition to the soaring costs and limitations on use - is also putting off buyers. This, the owners say, left them stuck in a 'vicious circle' of having to pay the high rents or give up their plot and hut entirely, with little chance of selling. Some plots, including those that have been passed down by families for generations, are even said to have been returned to the council due to people being unable to afford them and also failing to find a new owner. The huts are a popular spot to sit and watch the view across the Wash - but they can only be used for six months of the year due to flooding and people are advised against swimming because of pollution in the sea Wine bar owner Steve Scott, 57, from Leicestershire who bought his hut for £6,500 in 2019 described the ground rent as 'extortionate'. He said: 'I have just paid the rent this year and it is outrageous. The only thing we get for our money is a couple of water taps either end of the beach. 'You never see anyone from the council turn up with a strimmer to cut back the vegetation. 'All the beach huts are beneath the sea wall so we do not even get to look at the beach unless we set up some chairs at the top. 'As far as I am concerned it is money for old rope for the council because they do absolutely bugger all. 'There are about 100 huts so that is more than £70,000 that they are raking in for doing sweet FA. 'We are not even allowed to use out huts between October and March and we certainly are not allowed to spend the night in them. 'It is nothing short of scandalous that they are also fleecing new owners for £2,000 just to draw up new bog-standard leases for what are basically glorified garden sheds. 'I did try and suggest that they could spread out the cost of ground rent over a whole year and pay once a month but before they responded they deducted the whole amount by direct debit as usual.' Mr Scott admitted that he and his wife had bought their hut at the right time for 'a decent amount' before prices rocketed over Covid due to the increased demand for staycation holidays. He added: 'It is certainly the case that there are loads of them on the market. It could be that prices will come down which will leave some owners disappointed.' Mr Scott's anger at the council has been further exacerbated by their new policy of doubling council tax on holiday homes - including his two-bedroom bolthole in the nearby village of Snettisham, meaning he now pays £4,000 in council tax instead of £2,000. 'It is a lovely area here – but they are taking advantage,' he said. 'They just see second home owners as cash cows and beach hut owners are treated the same way.' Jan Wildman, 64, who has owned a hut for six years, complained: 'We are the only beach in Norfolk with a brown flag award. 'The other thing about being in Heacham is we are further into the estuary area, so for half the day we have no water at all because it's over at Skegness. 'We are considered at risk of flooding for six months each year but in Old Hunstanton they pay £288 [annual ground rent] and can use them for 12 months.' The retired teacher added the council treated hut owners as 'cash cows', saying: 'If you walk from the village to the beach you can access the public loos, just like we can, and you can get cold water from the stand pipe, just like we can. 'We are not getting anything for that huge sum of money that people can just get for nothing. So it's just greed and intransigence [by the council]. They've realised they can get the money, so why should they back down?' Miss Wildman also pointed out transfer fees have increase from £1,500 when she bought hers in 2019 to £2,000 now – an increase of 33 per cent. Gary Hall, who has visited his family's hut in Heacham since the 1980s, said: 'They [the council] have destroyed something special through their greed.' Turning to sluggish sales, he added: People I have spoken to have said they would not touch them with a barge pole due to the high costs.' Pam Slote, a retiree from Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, with a hut in the town, added: 'We feel incandescent and very cross.' David French, 78, revealed he was considering giving up his hut. He said: 'They are killing the goose that laid the golden egg.' Heacham's huts could still be viewed as a bargain compared to others in Norfolk, particularly at Wells-next-the-Sea a short distance away around the coast where they are priced at around £100,000 each. And North Norfolk District Council charges more than £900 a year for a five-year lease for its huts in Sheringham, Cromer, Overstrand and Mundesley, while in Great Yarmouth and nearby Gorleston-on-Sea, the annual rent demanded is between £2,260 and £2,690. But Heacham's hut owners argue that they are still not getting value for money as they can only use them for half the year due to the flooding risks. The water pollution problems mean it is one of about 40 beaches in England where annual tests by the Environment Agency have rated the water quality as 'poor'. Warning signs dotted around what has been dubbed 'Norfolk's most noxious beach' warn people to avoid the temptation to swim because of the high levels of bacteria and other pollutants that can make people ill if sea water is ingested. Last week its beach was given a Brown Flag Award by UK travel website Holiday Park Guru, in a parody of the coveted Blue Flag Awards Signs awarded to the most coveted beaches. The problem has been blamed on sea birds feeding on the mudflats of the Wash - although many local people suspect overflowing human sewage is at least partly to blame. Hut owner Mr Hall added: 'The council has said the prices are competitive with North Norfolk District Council. 'But they have blue flag beaches, you can use them year-round and they have much better facilities, whereas we have to travel to Hunstanton to even go swimming. 'When I raised this with the council, they said "At least we have nice sunsets".' Retired care worker Barbara Jackson of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, who has a holiday mobile home in the village, said: 'I have got lots of sympathy with the beach hut owners. 'The huts add to the attraction of the place and are a lovely backdrop to the beach. If you buy a hut, you should be able to use the beach, yet people cannot go in the water.' A 65-year-old dog walker, who gave her name as Claire, said: 'The state of the sea is beyond a joke. I can understand why the hut owners get upset when they pay so much. 'The other day, the water was like a millpond and my friend was out kayaking and she saw sewage just bobbing up and down. 'When I see kids in the water, I think "Oh my God". At low tide, past the breakwaters, it is all dark sand. If you see people after they have been in the water, they are minging. It is such a shame. 'The huts are quite well used in the summer months and some of them are really smart. But others have got vandalised and are in a poor state of repair.' The frustrated hut owners have complained frequently to West Norfolk Council and have met up with officers and councillors. A council spokeswoman said there fees for huts might be reviewed in the future but nothing has been confirmed. She added: 'While it is important to note that these are the conditions that all parties signed up to, we acknowledge that, during the ten-year period of the leases, changing market circumstances mean that some of these conditions may not be as suitable as they were when agreed in 2016. 'We are sympathetic to the position of the owners and intend to address these issues during renewal discussions, in time for the leases to be renewed early next year.' In January, the council announced it had turned around a £4m forecast budget gap and now had a balanced financial position for 2025/26 – without using financial reserves.
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
'It's like having a second home': Wealthy owners of £70k beach huts reveal FOUR the reasons why you should not buy one
Beach hut owners living out their dreams along the English coastline have revealed the hidden costs that come with purchasing the seaside structures. Property owners in Whitstable are facing eyewatering sums to buy and maintain their beach huts, with forking out as much as £70,000 to enjoy a lavish ocean view. Although, this is just the start of some owners' financial woes as they are increasingly paying more for their pitch as ground rents continue to soar year on year. And as if that wasn't enough, owners are also living in fear of vandals burning their huts down, while others have no access to running water, electricity or even toilets. This has led to a mass exodus of people using the huts, which are now falling into disrepair, as they fall out of love with the English Dream. David Rose, 67, who has lived in Whitstable for 12 years and walks his dog past the beach huts every day has noticed a frustrating trend. 'No one is ever using them,' he said. 'I come past here every day walking my dog, even in the summer, and there's never anyone using the huts. 'I'd love to own one but they're so expensive, why would I spend £60,000 on one of those when I could help my son with a deposit for a house? And lots of people have let them fall into disrepair.' David Rose, 67, who has lived in Whitstable for 12 years and walks his dog past the beach huts every day has noticed the huts are increasingly being abandoned Mr Rose continued: 'Some are lovely and well cared for of course, but there are some here that have not been used in years. 'The council owns the land they're on, and they do have rules about upkeep, but they're clearly not enforcing them. Some of them are complete eyesores. 'There was a homeless gentleman living on the deck of one, because it's enclosed, and the owner has padlocked it so he can't get in. 'He told me he'd been moved on because they were going to renovate it, but they've just left it. 'I have never seen anyone using it and he wasn't making a mess, he wasn't your typical tramp he was a respectable middle aged man, and they kicked him out for no reason.' Simon Gomm, 60, who helps to repair beach huts in the seaside resort, said: 'I'm a carpenter by trade but I help repair beach huts too. 'There's no water, no electric, no toilets, but people are spending thousands. Some of the ones along here are £70,000 - it's big money. 'There are a few issues with vandalism, but it's about luck really. This hut however has likely seen better days and is crying out for a fresh coat of paint 'It's a mixture of people locally and people from away owning them. Some are rented out as well. 'I work with a young lady who bought five off the council down at Tankerton Beach and rents them out - that's her living, but it is a mixture.' Katrina Brown, 52, who runs Beacon House, which featured in TV show Whitstable Pearl, as a holiday let in the touristy town of Whitstable, has regular use of a beach hut. She said: 'The challenge of owning a beach hut is they are just so expensive. 'They retail for around £50,000 - I know someone who sold hers on Tankerton Beach for £125,000. 'They're really good fun if you're quite organised about it - but you do have to be very organised. 'It's sort of like owning a second home, they are a real responsibility. I have shared use of one, so I'm always worrying whether I've left it in good enough condition, that sort of thing.' The theatre director added: 'I used to be on the Harbour Board, so I was technically the owner of all the beach huts there - that was my role, I looked after them on behalf of the council and those are good because they're just a year lease. The owner of this beach hut has seemingly had enough of the eyewatering expenses and decided to put it up for sale 'You don't want to spend fifty, sixty, one hundred grand and realise they don't work for your family. 'Access is an issue here too - there is just nowhere to park, but that is also a good thing because it means there are no cars driving past, so your view is uninterrupted. 'And, we were walking our dog here the other day and went to use the tap for some water and it isn't even on yet - so its intermittent access to facilities like that.' There are worse problems than lack of water and parking though, Katrina said: 'Security is an issue, not that long ago some youths set fire to one of the huts here and it burned to the ground. 'There is a sort of neighbourhood watch system in place to keep an eye out for that sort of thing. If you're security conscious it may be quite stress inducing.' She has also noticed people do not seem to use the huts to their full potential, she said: 'The other thing is, where are they all? It's a beautiful day today and not one person is there. 'It will pick up now it's April but there are some that never get used from what I've seen.' Opera singer Sue Bickley, 70 is seen giving her hut a fresh lick of paint for the first time in preparation for the summer Sue Bickley, 70, an opera singer, was at her hut giving it a fresh lick of paint for the summer, she said: 'Maintenance is obviously a consideration, being right where the wind blows, it's exposed to the elements. 'This is the first time I've painted it in some years, but there's some professionals doing one up down there and I bet they think 'what's she doing?' 'The other thing is the ground rent - some places can have eye wateringly high yearly costs, and that's on top of the purchase price. We've had ours for eight years and it goes up every single year. 'The people who own huts a bit further down the beach pay a quarter of what we pay because it's a different owner. 'Each year we ask if we should sell it but I am determined to use it to its full potential this year. 'Coming down in the sun with this view, well, that's good motivation to carry on affording it. It's a blissful thing to come down on an evening and sit. 'The other thing is the facilities, the owners provide no tap, no electricity and no toilet, but those further down the beach have all those things. 'But, it's a lovely place to be in the evenings. Bizarrely, even though we are on the east coast we can watch the sunset, so we get the most beautiful sunsets. 'I cycled here today, but we live just a 15 minute walk away so it's perfect. 'You do have to be quite organised, but it's worth it.' Martin Blackley, 65, who bought his beach hut in 2017, has never looked back, despite some of the challenges of ownership. The retired business travel expert said: 'About two and a half years ago we noticed it was rotting a bit and when the guy came to repair it he said '"you can put your finger through it." 'So we had to build a new one, it cost about £7,500. We already had a deck build so that was just the hut itself. 'Depending on where on the beach you are you pay different amounts of ground rent - I won't tell you how much mine is but it's less than most. 'The land it's on is owned by a charity, and we have no protection, so if they wanted to build something on here one day we would get no compensation. 'Over the years we've had a few hooligans spray painting things. 'Last year the beach hut three doors down burned to the ground - it's quite easy to do, they're wooden structures. Millionaire's Row: The prices of the timber cabins on the Mudeford Sandbank in Christchurch Harbour, Dorset, now stand at about £475,000 'They're also expensive to insure - you pay more in insurance for a beach hut than for a house. 'I'm retired now, but when I was working I used to come down here after work and just sit. 'My dog thinks it's the garden - it just lays over there like it's his own property. 'It's quieter down this end of the beach too, people don't walk past as much because there's nothing past this point. 'We also have a toilet and tap, and I've got a gas fridge. 'I probably spend about four or five days a year maintaining it, so that's something people need to think about. 'Even in the winter we use it, the wooden panel comes out of the door and there's glass behind so you can sit inside when it's cold and look out and heat up a hot water bottle.' Wendy Smith, 69, who recently purchased her beach hut, has no complaints: 'It's bliss, there are no challenges. 'We have a lot of different ages in the family now, from toddlers to youngsters in their twenties and thirties and older - so it's great for the kids and the older ones can go for a drink. 'There a good facilities here, there's two loos, a water tap, and the amenities aren't too far away. 'We had a beach hut as children living in Seasalter so we have lots of happy memories. 'I suppose the considerations you have to make is if the hut is in good condition. 'You are exposed to the elements, so you need to paint it every year and maintain things that are rotting, do the roof that sort of stuff. 'Then there's the cost, you're spending quite a lot of money and then there's the ground rent. 'But it is just bliss - I have no complaints.'
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Our Norfolk beach huts are unsellable after the greedy council hiked ground rent fees. No one wants to buy them now - we've got no choice but to pay up
Furious beach hut owners on the Norfolk coast say they have been left 'trapped' by a council hike in ground rent fees - with no option but to pay up. Property holders in Heacham, Norfolk, have been hit with annual ground rent charges soaring from £200 to £730 in the last three years. The frustrated owners have now condemned their local authority as 'greedy' after finding themselves stuck in a 'vicious circle' of handing over more money or else giving up their plots. They say their colourful chalets are now near-impossible to sell, with new owners potentially having to come up with £2,000 transfer charges. The latest dispute follows problems in the Victorian seaside village which previously led to the Environment Agency branding the water quality there as 'poor'. Signs around the beach warn swimmers it is unsafe to enter the water due to high levels of bacteria and other pollutants. After the latest setback concerning the increased fees, regular visitors have told how decades of happiness at the huts are now being spoiled. Gary Hall, who has been visiting his family's hut in Heacham since the 1980s, has now said of the price hikes by King's Lynn and West Norfolk Council: 'It has taken away the community there and the companionship built up over the years. 'They have destroyed something special through their greed. Due to the costs, people I have spoken to have said they would not touch them with a barge pole due to the high costs.' Pam Slote, a retiree from Wisbech, said: 'We feel incandescent and very cross.' Beach hut plots are being returned to the council due to people being unable to afford them and failing to find a new owner, locals told. David French, 78, is considering giving up his hut and said of officials: 'They are killing the goose that laid the golden egg.' A West Norfolk Council spokesperson said it was 'important to note that these are the conditions that all parties signed up to'. But they added: 'We acknowledge that during the 10-year period of the leases, changing market circumstances mean that some of these conditions may not be as suitable as they were when agreed in 2016. 'We are sympathetic to the position of the owners and intend to address these issues during renewal discussions, in time for the leases to be renewed early next year.' Heacham featured when England's 19 dirtiest beaches were last week named and shamed at the second annual 'Brown Flag Awards'. Researchers at looked at the Environmental Agency's summertime water quality data, based on about 7,000 samples at more than 400 bathing waters from the previous four years. Those they dubbed 'Brown Flag' beaches had been rated 'poor' by the Environment Agency due to the amount of bacteria in the water caused by sewage and waste. And the overall tally across England leapt from 13 last year to 19 in 2025, a 46 per cent rise. Somerset and Kent have the highest number of Brown Flag beaches, with each county having three beaches on the list. At the other end of the scale, Northumberland officially has the country's cleanest beaches. Campaigner and swimmer Robbie Lane, from the firm behind the rankings, said: 'We had hoped that we'd be handing out fewer Brown Flags this year – but things have gone down the pan. 'Do your research this summer and you'll be saying, "Wish you were here", rather than, "Wish I'd worn a hazmat suit".' Brown Flag Awards Winners 2025 In alphabetical order by county: Porthluney in Cornwall Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary in Devon (Newcomer for 2025) Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach in Dorset (Newcomer for 2025) Southsea East in Hampshire Deal Castle in Kent (Newcomer for 2025) Dymchurch in Kent (Newcomer for 2025) Littlestone in Kent Blackpool North in Lancashire St Annes North in Lancashire Heacham in Norfolk Weston Main, Weston Super Mare Sand Bay and Weston Super Mare Uphill Slipway in Somerset Dunster Beach in Somerset Blue Anchor West in Somerset (Newcomer for 2025) Bognor Regis, Aldwick in Sussex Worthing Beach House in Sussex (Newcomer for 2025) Tynemouth Cullercoats in Tyne and Wear Littlehaven Beach in Tyne and Wear (Newcomer for 2025) Scarborough South Bay in North Yorkshire Bridlington South Beach in East Riding of Yorkshire
