Felixstowe beach huts to return to beach

Some of the beach huts, near the Spa Pavilion theatre, were moved on to the hard surface of the prom after a storm in 2018

Several beach huts will return to a sandy beach after a council approved their reinstatement.

Some 44 huts near the Spa Pavilion in Felixstowe, Suffolk, were relocated from the sand due to erosion in 2018.

East Suffolk Council returned 30 huts to the prom in 2022, but could not find a home for 14, leading campaigners to fight for their reinstatement.

Beach hut owner Ruth Dugdall said she was "thrilled" by the approval, calling it a "win for Felixstowe".

New locations were found for 30 of the 44 huts, which began to be reinstated in November 2022

The beach huts in the seaside and port town are believed to be the oldest in Britain, with Dr Kathryn Ferry from the Seaside Heritage Network dating them back to at least 1891.

Dr Lee Prosser of Historic Royal Palaces visited the misplaced huts and confirmed some of them were part of the original row, making them 135 years old.

The Spa Beach Hut campaigners began fighting for their reinstatement after the council announced all 44 would be removed in July 2021.

"We have worked incredibly hard to get to this moment," said Ms Dugdall, who also aided the campaign.

"We feel the decision is a win, not just for us, but for Felixstowe - returning 14 beach huts to the Spa area where they've been since the 1880s."

Signs have been put on the beach huts by campaigners who want them to stay

As part of the approved planning application, the beach huts will be returned to the beach itself and they will sit on wooden platforms.

They will be split into three groups - seven, three, and four - and sited to the south-west of the seafront theatre, which dates from 1909.

Ms Dugdall added: "We're committed to protecting and preserving the beach hut heritage."