A number of beach huts on the seafront have been vandalised in the latest apparent spree (Image: Getty)
Residents and holidaymakers who shelled out over £30,000 for a beach hut on seafront have been left furious by a spate of vandalisms. A handful of hut owners reported on the stretch of southeast coast on Thursday, with doors yanked off their hinges or severely damaged, according to .
The popular resort in draws visitors from around the UK, especially in the warmer months, thanks to its long stretch of pebblestone beach and brightly coloured promenade of beach huts. Even locals know better than to keep valuables in their seaside cabins – with the pricey structures generally used to house deck chairs, parasols and other beach accessories. A lack of important stolen possessions hasn’t dimmed the impact of the vandalism, however, with owners potentially facing pricey repairs.
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Brighton and Hove is one of the UK’s most popular seaside resorts (Image: Getty)
Thanks to their prominent location, the huts can fetch huge sums, with recent sales hovering around the £30,000 mark, according to RightMove. They can also be rented from Brighton and Hove Council at a yearly rate of £1,731.89.
Residents in the Hove Beach Hut Association group told The Argus that they weren’t sure of the motivation behind the recent break-ins.
Bonnie Holland said: “Thieves are usually pretty disappointed to find that our beach huts hold nothing of much value,”
“I’m not sure what they expect to find.”
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The last time Hove seafront was targeted by vandals was back in June 2021, when the structures were defaced with blue spray paint in what locals dismissed as a “stupid and thoughtless” act.
The problem isn’t unique to the southeast – with door panels damaged on a number of huts at Gorleston Beach in Great Yarmouth just last week, in what the local council described as “disappointing and mindless damage”.
Sussex Police has not commented on the recent incidents in Hove.