Beach hut prices on Abersoch beach have hit record levels

The rise in Welsh property prices is being starkly illustrated at a north Wales resort where a beach hut is on the market for �28,000.

The wooden shed with a corrugated iron roof is being sold by estate agents Beresford Adams who last year sold a similar hut for �20,000.

With no running water or electricity, the huts at the popular holiday destination of Abersoch on the Llyn Peninsula are in great demand.

Measuring 8ft by 8ft and in need of some repair, the blue-painted hut is valued at �8,000 more than the 12ft by 12ft property which was sold last November.

The huts have been described by property agent Martin Lewthwaite as an ideal location for a family who wanted to sit on the beach and enjoy a summer's day in the picturesque resort.

The price tag for this hut is double the annual wage of the local people Simon Brooks, Cymuned

However, Simon Brooks from Welsh-language pressure group Cymuned said the situation was a disgrace.

"It gives an indication of what is happening in the property market and shows it is completely out of control.

"If a garden shed is on sale for �28,000, how much would a house in Abersoch cost?

Mr Brooks added that the average salary in the Llyn Peninsula was between �13,000 - �14,000.

"The price tag for this hut is double the annual wage of the local people. It is an astonishing situation," he added.

Marshland

Figures released by the Land Registry last week showed the average price of a house in Wales has jumped by more than 23% in the last year.

Between January and March this year, the price of the average house in Wales was �90,585, compared to �73,276 during the same period in 2002.

Beach huts are being sold for record prices across the UK.

In January, two timber huts on Southwold seafront in Suffolk were on sale for �45,000 and �35,000.

In Dorset, a beach hut overlooking marshland was priced at �73,000 in April 2002.

But a pre-war two bedroom beach chalet, also in Dorset, eclipsed its owners' wildest expectations last year by selling for �120,000, more than double the original asking price.