Some of the damaged huts will have to be replaced

Some of the huts, which are worth up to �40,000 each, were destroyed and will need to be re-built.

The combination of a high tide and strong winds hit the Suffolk resort in the early hours of Monday morning.

Many of the wooden buildings were simply no match for the force of the sea.

The owners of the seafront huts had been considering moving them for the winter.

This is one of the picturesque views of Southwold. To see them like this is heartbreaking Carpenter Geoff Ladd

One owner, Paul Denny, spent part of the afternoon clearing away contents from his hut's the, Dragon's Lair, before the sea did any more damage.

"It's the time of year isn't it? Apart from the season of goodwill and all there, there's enough to be done this time of the year without facing something extra," he said.

Carpenter Geoff Ladd, who restores and repairs many of the beach huts, now faces a busy Christmas.

Although Mr Ladd is glad of the work, the damage wrought by the storm brought him no joy.

"This is one of the picturesque views of Southwold. To see them like this is heartbreaking," he said.

"It's going to come - and it's going to come again, and again, and again. No-one can stop it."