Independent News 2005
The slowdown in property prices and increased council charges have left some owners wondering why they were so keen to spend more than £100,000 on a windowless shack.
One of the country's most exclusive beach hut enclaves, in Mudeford in Dorset, now has no less than 22 sites for sale. The beach, between Christchurch Harbour and Christchurch Bay, boasts stunning views of the Needles on the Isle of Wight and is a haven of tranquillity as cars, mains electricity and fast food outlets are banned.
Only last November, a wooden hut at Mudeford was sold for £140,000, despite the fact that it was just 16ft by 12ft and had no electricity or plumbing.
The Mudeford beach is unusual because, unlike most other sites in Britain, the owners are allowed to sleep in their little sheds. But last week, a Mudeford hut failed to reach its £80,000 reserve price at auction.