A BEACH hut at the exclusive Mudeford Sandbank has sold for a record £330,000.

A bidding war broke out over the wooden hut, listed for the same price as a five-bedroom house in Hull.

Four potential buyers put in offers on the 12ft by 10ft hut - two of them without even viewing it.

And it sold for £5,000 more than the asking price.

Last week a second hut, also listed for £325,000, sold for just under that amount after being on the market for just a few days.

The huts have no mains electricity or running water and shower facilities are in a shared communal block.

Cars are banned from the spit which has to be reached by land train, ferry or on foot.

Its isolated position is what attracts wealthy people to buy the cabins which can sleep up to six people each.

The demand for them has never been greater due to people being put off travelling abroad this summer.

The COVID-19 restrictions on staying overnight in holiday homes were lifted on July 4 and then Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Brits to holiday at home his year.

Andy Denison, of Christchurch-based Denisons estate agents, said: "The demand for the beach huts at Mudeford is the highest I have ever known it right now. It has gone crazy."

He said two viewings were arranged on the same day a £325,000 hut went on the market.

He added: "These people are cash buyers from out of the area who want to enjoy the English seaside this year and maybe rent the hut out to other holidaymakers as well.

"It is all down to the increase in staycations.

"People are throwing in the towel on foreign holidays this year, they are very wary of them.

"The cost of flights and hotels is starting to get expensive and people don't know what it will be like in the resort when they get there in terms of being restricted in hotels and restaurants."

There are about 360 beach huts at Mudeford, all of which are privately owned.

The £330,000 hut is in an 'excellent' position on the spit, with uninterrupted views of the Isle of Wight to the front and Christchurch Harbour behind.

It has a small kitchen that has a fridge freezer and a cooker run on Calor gas and hot water from a pump powered by solar panels on the roof.

The front half of the hut has the lounge area that doubles as a bedroom which can sleep four people.

A small set of wooden steps leads to a small sleeping area in the loft space for two more people.

It also has a chemical toilet and double glazed windows and double doors that lead out to a small decking where there is a barbecue.

As well as the eye-watering purchase price, the owners have to pay annual rates to Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council of about £4,500 a year.

Owners can only sleep in the huts from March to October but can visit any time of year.