Gang of ‘up to 100’ yobs are terrorising owners of luxury huts on exclusive Sandbanks beach by ‘smashing windows, covering them in graffiti and congregating outside to do drugs’
- It comes after beach hunt tenants had their rent doubled overnight by council
A gang of up to 100 youths are intimidating owners of expensive beach huts on Sandbanks beach with incidents of drug abuse and vandalism.
The ‘hutters’, who pay up to £5,500 a year for their exclusive cabins, have made numerous complaints about anti-social behaviour taking place in the Dorset resort.
Yobs have been seen breaking windows of beach huts and covering them in graffiti, free-running across the roofs and openly smoking cannabis and inhaling laughing gas while congregating outside their huts.
Beach hut tenants say they are at their wits end after their rent was almost doubled overnight by Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch Council only to receive more ‘chaos and misery’.
Bob Lister, chairman of the Poole Beach Hut Association, said: ‘The local council is treating us like cash cows. They can’t just increase our rents, pricing many pensioners out of the area, then reduce security measures in the area.
Pictured: The beach huts at Sandbanks where a gang of up to 100 youths have been intimidating owners
Beach hut tenants say youths have been openly smoking cannabis and inhaling laughing gas while congregating outside their huts
‘Years ago the council had a ranger monitoring the beach huts every day. They say that there is CCTV in the area but it isn’t complete coverage.
‘It is clearly not doing enough to put off the gangs who damage the huts and leave litter on the beach.
‘The decline of the last few years is horribly clear. We need to see change and soon.’
Hutter Zin Matthews explained that she regularly sees teenagers ‘doing laughing gas balloons’ and partaking in underage drinking.
She said: ‘There is also a lot of vandalism. A can of paint has been thrown on the wall and windows have been smashed.
‘Some of the windows look like Superman has gone ‘kapow’ on them and broken the glass.
‘It makes us very angry because we pay a lot of money to stay here, but we want something in place to deter them and stop this.’
Sue Smith said she has witnessed around 80 to 100 teens congregate outside beach huts, ‘smoking cannabis and drinking alcohol’.
The 35-year-old said: ‘We have had our window smashed, graffiti thrown on the hut and we know it was them because the paint matches the one on the curtains of their hut.
‘I’ve felt very intimidated and have got lots of abuse, but I’m cross at the police and council’s lack of interest in this when we report it.
‘They need to have a zero-tolerance approach; there are laws saying you can’t ride e-scooters, they should be confiscated.’
Yobs have also been seen breaking windows of beach huts and covering them in graffiti
Bob Lister, chairman of the Poole Beach Hut Association, said: ‘The local council is treating us like cash cows’
A Dorset Police spokesperson said police officers regularly take part in ‘high visibility foot patrols along Poole’s beaches’
Pictured: an example of some of the window breaking which has been taking place in the area
John Pullen, 57, said: ‘There was a group of kids gathering during the course of the evening and it eventually grew to about 90.
‘They were drinking, smoking cannabis, running across roofs – they are completely unruly and it is pretty unpleasant.
‘I know some people who have said this year will probably be their last renting the hut because they’ve had enough.’
A Dorset Police spokesperson said police officers regularly take part in ‘high visibility foot patrols along Poole’s beaches as part of Operation Sandman, an annual summertime operation’.
Councillor Kieron Wilson, responsible for housing, said BCP Council is determined to tackle anti-social behaviour.
He said: ‘CCTV is already in place at Shore Rd and the camera will remain covering this location in the evenings.
‘There are ‘fragile roof’ signs in place to warn people of the dangers of trespassing.
‘We continue to work with our partners to conduct patrols and provide advice, but it is important that incidents are reported to the police at the time they are taking place.’