Police appeal over hut breakins

Police are appealing for information after breakins at 17 beach huts along Littlehampton seafront.

Officers carried out a search of the area last Saturday but said no suspects were found.

One of the beach hut owners, a 54-year-old woman who asked not to be named, said that while nothing was stolen, the intruders had turned her hut ‘upside down’ – pulling open drawers and cupboards and emptying the contents onto the floor.

“It’s a shame,” she said. “I know it’s a risk when you have a hut, but it’s not nice.”

It is not the first time the beach huts have been broken into, she said – last year a neighbour had a paddle board stolen from his hut.

“I don’t know if they were hoping to find something like that,” she said. “A lot of people empty the huts before the winter, so it’s a bit strange.”

She said police officers spent Saturday morning looking around the huts and speaking to owners.

A spokesman said Arun District Council was sad to learn about the break-ins at the beach huts, which are a mix of council-owned and privately-owned huts.

“It is really upsetting for this to occur at such a difficult time when people are struggling both mentally and financially due to the ongoing pandemic,” the spokesman said. Sussex Police are fully aware of these incidents and the council is in the process of contacting the owners of the beach huts to discuss the repair work needed.”

Police asked anyone who noticed any suspicious behaviour at the site, or had information to assist the police investigation, to call 101 or report online quoting reference 286 of 06/02.