PARENTS are being urged to ensure they know where their children are at night after arsonists destroyed four beach huts in Walton.

Two fire crews from Frinton were called to Southcliff Promenade at about 10.50pm on Monday.

Four beach huts were destroyed and two others were damaged.

A spokesman for Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said crews managed to extinguish the fire within 20 minutes and then made sure the scene was left fully cooled and safe before they left.

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  • Picture: Jamie Weston

Insp Darren Deex, of the Tendring Community Policing Team, said the incident was a “mindless act of vandalism”.

He added: “Some victims will not only have lost their huts at some great expense but also some personal belongings or sentimentally valuable items.

“I would personally appeal to parents in the area to ask themselves where their children were on Monday night.

“Did they smell of smoke when they got home? Did they come home acting suspiciously? As a community we all need to be looking out for each other.

“That starts at home - making sure we know where our children are, what they are up to, who they are with and teaching them a sense of social responsibility and morals.”

“I see many great intiatives involving young people in Tendring, such as Fire Break and the Voluntary Police Cadets, and therefore it always saddens me when we see incidents of this nature committed by a small minority.”

The Beach Hut Owners Association of Walton said the fire started in Southcliff’s Row C and all the huts belonged to members of the association.

It said: “So sad, our thoughts go out to the hut owners affected.”
The beach huts are privately owned, but are on Tendring Council land.

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Mick Skeels, Cabinet member for leisure and tourism, said four of the huts were completely burnt to the ground, one had damage to its roof and another one to the side and should be able to be repaired.

“We have had discussions with the town’s beach hut association and are aware of their call for CCTV to be put up,” added Mr Skeels.

“We have looked into this on a number of occasions and are not satisfied that this is the answer.

“There are more than 3,000 beach huts in Tendring and it would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to cover them all with cameras. That is simply not possible.

“We do understand how upsetting this is for owners and we will clear the sites for them, although technically it is their responsibility.”

He added hut owners are being urged to make their huts more secure with storm doors as these are proven to deter anyone wanting to break-in into huts.

Owners are also asked not to leave gas bottles inside huts as it is against their licence.