Firefighters were called to a suspicious blaze that destroyed three beach huts in Dovercourt.
The fire was started in a beach hut at The Spar, near Orwell Terrace, at 6.45pm on Friday.
A spokesman for Harwich police said it is thought the blaze was started in one beach hut and spread to another three.
Three of the huts were destroyed and the other was damaged.
Firefighters from Dovercourt extinguished the fire in about 30 minutes.
Betty Holloway, secretary of the Dovercourt Bay Beach Hut and Seafront Users' Association, said: "The beach hut that it started in was run down and had holes in the sides and roof.
"Kids are always going in and out of it and we have been concerned about it for some time, but the hut is not owned by a member of the beach hut association, so we haven't been able to contact them."
- Anyone with information is asked to call PC Goldstone on 01255 221312.
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