TENDRING council is set to clamp down on beach hut owners who have made unauthorised changes to their huts.

The council said it would be focused in the coming weeks on the rapid growth of ‘improvers’ who have made the alterations.

Estate agents are also being reminded to tell buyers that they are only buying the hut, not the site.

Tendring Council also wants to be informed straight away whenever a hut comes on the market.

Alex Porter, Tendring councillor responsible for leisure and tourism said beach hut licensees will receive a letter in the coming weeks reminding them of their licence conditions as part of work to review and revise the authority’s Beach Hut Strategy.

He added: “We are just starting the process of revising the Beach Hut Strategy, and as part of this we will be reviewing the existing licence scheme to see what improvements can be made.

“The views of beach hut associations are integral to this, and we will be asking for their involvement in the process.

“The existing licence is for personal use only and requires hut owners to inform us before they sell their hut – and that the new owner can only apply for a new licence if the hut meets the licence requirements.”