Beach hut owners have been hit by a £50 charge to remove storm-damaged shelters.

More than 40 huts in the city were battered by hurricane-force winds that hit Sussex last week.

At least 13 were totally destroyed by the 80mph winds.

Owners were forced to brave the gales and driving rain to retrieve possessions from their wrecked huts.

Some have paid up to £10,000 to buy their huts which are quickly snapped up when they come up for sale.

Now Brighton and Hove City Council plans to charge owners £50 to remove what is left of the wooden structures if they don't do it themselves.

The move comes just before the council raises the ground rent it charges owners by up to 20 per cent.

Rents are set to go up to between £341 and £585 next month for prime seafront sites between Hove and Saltdean.

The £50 removal fee was yesterday greeted with dismay by beach hut owners and councillors.

Pensioner Jenny Sharman is regularly seen at her hut on Hove seafront with her two spaniels Lucy Locket and Rolo.

Ms Sharman, of Reynolds Road, Hove, said: "The council is putting the rents up and is already charging us enough.

"I don't see why they should charge us to take away the damaged huts as well."

Claire Webster and Jane Haviland were among those forced to brave the gales after their Hove beach hut was destroyed by the storms.

Ms Webster said: "I am not sure what it says in our contracts but I would like there to be a clean-up service.

"We pay enough ground rent for the hut as it is and the council is always very quick to pick up owners on any maintenance issues.

"I do not think it is reasonable for them to charge for the wood to be removed but it does not come as a surprise.

"We have not had anything from the council about this so we were looking at contracting a builder to put up another hut.

"As part of that contract we thought the builder might be allowed to take away the old wood but we are not really sure what the situation is."

Councillor Paul Elgood said he thought the council should pay for the damaged huts to be removed.

He said: "It is a shame the council wants to charge the beach hut tenants for this work.

"It was not their fault that the storms damaged the beach huts.

"The council is responsible for keeping the seafront looking good and for doing minor repairs and clearing up after storms to enable the seafront to look its best.

"The council should just deal with the matter and meet the cost of taking the damaged huts away."

The council's environment chairman Geoffrey Theobald and recreation and tourism chairman David Smith were not available for comment today.

Will you have to pay to remove your battered beach hut? Call The Argus newsdesk on 01273 544519 or leave your comments below.