Ten-year wait for beach huts

Potential buyers are casting an increasingly envious eye at current tenants as they make their way to the coast.

However, people inquiring about their availability in Worthing after a record-breaking summer have been left disappointed as Worthing closed its waiting list.

It follows a decision to close the list in Brighton and Hove as demand far outstrips supply.

Worthing Borough Council hires out 111 huts and 55 chalets. There are another 285 privately owned huts and the authority charges a fee for the pitch.

This summer some of the private huts, often passed through families from one generation to another, have been selling for more than £7,000.

Peter Kerrigan, the council officer responsible for beach huts, said: "The wait is currently five years for a council hut and up to ten years for a private hut.

"In the past three or four years there has been a huge rise in the number of requests for huts but only four or five a year become available.

"Consequently, it has been decided to close the waiting list as this is not in the best interests of all concerned to maintain these lists."

At present there are 280 people on the list, mainly from within a 20 to 30-mile radius of Worthing, although there have been applications from as far afield as Walton-on-Thames and Redhill in Surrey.

It costs £484 to hire a beach hut for the summer, £76 for the winter, and £510 for the year. Chalets cost £529, £95 and £580.

Private owners must pay the council £229 a year for a licence which demands that the hut is kept in good condition.

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokeswoman said the city had more than 400 privately-owned beach huts.

She said the authority previously ran a waiting list but closed it a couple of years ago because it was "too much grief".

She said: "Too many people wanted them but too few people wanted to sell them. We suggest people look in the classifieds or place an advert."