Two teenagers are arrested after vandals torched three of Britain’s most expensive beach huts worth up to £300,000 each at Dorset beauty spot
- Two men, aged 15 and 19 , have been arrested in connection with the blazes
- Three beach huts in Hengistbury Head, Dorset, set alight on Saturday morning
- Thirty of the huts were broken into, it is not yet known if anything was taken
- Huts regularly go for up to £300,000, with impressive views of Dorset coastline
Two teenagers have been arrested after vandals torched three of Britain’s most expensive beach huts worth up to £300,000 each at a Dorset beauty spot.
Three beach huts were set alight and a further 30 were broken into during an incident at Hengistbury Head, Dorset, in the early hours of Saturday.
Dorset Police confirmed a 19-year-old man from Christchurch was arrested on suspicion of arson and burglary and is currently assisting detectives with their inquiries.
A 15-year-old boy from Bournemouth, who was previously arrested on suspicion of arson and burglary, has been released on police bail pending further inquiries.
The beach huts in Hengistbury Head, Dorset, which are some of the UK’s most expensive, were burnt beyond repair
One hut has been completely destroyed, another only a charred shell remains and a third suffered extensive damage. There are around 360 huts on the Mudeford Spit
There was nobody inside any of the buildings and no-one was injured during the incident.
Detective Inspector Andrew Kennard, of Bournemouth CID, said: ‘Our investigation into this incident remains ongoing and I am still keen to hear from anyone who was in the area and witnessed what happened.
‘If you have any information that may assist my investigation and have not yet spoken to police, please get in touch.
Beach hut owner Stephen Bath. The wooden huts at the desirable Mudeford Spit in Christchurch, Dorset, now sell for about ££325,000 thanks to the picturesque location
Two teenagers, aged 15 and 19, have been arrested in connection with the blazes at the beach huts
‘We are continuing to work with Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council to identify the owners of all the beach huts involved in this incident.
‘I would like to renew my appeal to anyone who owns a beach hut that has been affected and has not yet been contacted by either the council or the police to get in touch.’
The beach huts, which have spectacular views of the Dorset coastline, regularly fetch up to £300,000 when they are sold.
Dorset Police were alerted to a report that three beach huts were on fire at 2.40am today by the fire service.
An officer inspects a cordoned off beach hut that appears to have been broken into on Saturday
On attending officers established that a further 30 of the 360 beach huts on the picturesque Mudeford Spit had been broken into, with doors and windows smashed.
A website offering some of the huts for holiday lets describes them as ‘pretty much the only beach huts in the country where you can stay overnight’ – thankfully nobody was inside any of the beach huts and no one was injured during the incident.
One hut has been completely destroyed, only a charred shell remains of another and a third suffered extensive damage.