Furious hut owners on one of Britain's most coastlines feel 'trapped' and unable to sell because of soaring fees.
In Heacham, Norfolk, hut owners have been hit with ground rent charges that have skyrocketed from £200 to £730 in just three years. The disgruntled owners are calling the council 'greedy', finding themselves caught in a 'vicious circle' of either coughing up hefty rents or surrendering their plots.
Their vibrant chalets have become almost unsellable, with new buyers expected to shell out a whopping £2k transfer fee. Adding insult to injury, pollution issues in the Victorian seaside village have led the Environment Agency to label the water quality as 'poor'.
READ MORE:
Heacham recently featured among a handful of other beaches that were dubbed. Holiday Park Guru unveiled its second annual Brown Flag Awards last week. Using official water quality data to select the ‘winners’, the firm has sent out tasteful brown flags to the worst beaches, so they can warn swimmers of the nastiness lurking just beneath the surface.
Warning signs dot the beach at Heachham, advising against swimming due to elevated levels of bacteria and other pollutants. Gary Hall, who has frequented his family's hut in Heacham since the 1980s, lamented: "It has taken away the community there and the companionship built up over the years.
"They have destroyed something special through their greed. People I have spoken to have said they would not touch them with a barge pole because of the high costs," he added.
Pam Slote, a retiree from Wisbech, expressed her frustration: "We feel incandescent and very cross." Beach hut plots are being relinquished back to the council as owners struggle to afford them or find a buyer.
David French, 78, is contemplating giving up his hut, remarking: "They are killing the goose that laid the golden egg."
A spokesperson for West Norfolk Council said: "While it is important to note that these are the conditions that all parties signed up to, we acknowledge that during the 10-year period of the leases, changing market circumstances mean that some of these conditions may not be as suitable as they were when agreed in 2016. We are sympathetic to the position of the owners and intend to address these issues during renewal discussions, in time for the leases to be renewed early next year."
Brown Flag Award winners(In alphabetical order, with new entrants flagged 'poocomers')
You may also like
'Pandering to black people': Megyn Kelly has melt down over Met Gala's 'dandyism' tribute
Bhopal Gas Tragedy: 'Officials Made False Representations In HC About UCC Burning'
Indian Army Baharti 2025: Recruitment of officers in the army, opportunity for graduates, notification will be released on this day..
Yo Yo Honey Singh, Nargis Fakhri wrap up shoot of 'masterpiece' song 'Teri Yaadein'
Video: Missiles Seen Flying, Explosions Heard In Pakistan's Punjab Province; Pak Media Claims 'Drone Shot Down'
