They are a quintessential feature of the Norfolk seaside, known for their bright colours, quaint names... and huge waiting lists.
But there are fears the county's beach huts could become little more than a memory on a postcard after officials issued a shock warning that the tide may be going out for these coastal institutions.
A North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) report suggests that the huts and chalets lining promenades in Sheringham, Mundesley, Cromer and Overstrand may become financially unviable.
It blames the increasing frequency with which they are being battered by storms, which are making them too expensive to keep.
The warning follows a lacklustre performance in income after last year's wet and dreary summer left the council out of pocket because fewer people rented the huts out.
And projects elsewhere in the county are also facing issues with huts left empty and efforts to construct more of them running into delays and an overspend.
BEACH HUT BLUES
Three Norfolk councils hold a portfolio of beach huts and chalets, which are rented out to the public.
These can be found at Hunstanton in the west, the north Norfolk beaches and Gorleston.
In east Suffolk, they can also be found at Lowestoft and Pakefield.
Long-term leases are known to be in high demand with hundreds of people stuck on waiting lists.
And short-term rental costs do not come cheap - one week can set you back £215 in the peak summer months in Cromer.
While they have not lost their appeal, profit margins are getting slimmer for councils.
NNDC's repair and maintenance costs last year were 70pc higher than the average amount it has paid out in the last four years.
The authority faced a bill of £21,145 while expenses overall reached £181,360.
This is more than half the income the council predicts to raise from the huts this year.
NNDC has warned as storms are becoming increasingly frequent, it expects maintaining beach huts and chalets will no longer be financially sustainable.
A recent report said: "If adverse conditions become more frequent to the point it is no longer viable, officers may recommend that no beach huts leases are made available."
To tackle the problem, a new clause has been included in beach hut and chalet leases, giving the council legal powers to remove them during the winter months to protect them from storm damage.
It follows tenants being reluctant to agree to previous requests to do so, choosing instead to rely on insurance to pay for repairs.
But this too carries costs, with NNDC spending £11,000 to remove the huts in Overstrand this year due to the storms.
STORM THREAT
At a recent NNDC overview and scrutiny committee meeting, councillors questioned what had been done to protect against the financial threat of storms.
An officer said currently if a storm surge was to wash away beach huts, the authority would have to rely on insurance payouts to cover replacement costs.
This led to calls from Independent councillor Nigel Housden for a 'sinking fund' to be set up to allow the council to save money over time in case of large repair costs if the huts were washed away.
He said: "This is a service to the public. I would have thought you'd want to underpin it safely with some form of sinking fund that gives you protection rather than relying on insurance companies."
However, Lucy Shires, Liberal Democrat cabinet member for finance, estates and property services, clarified that the risk to beach huts is not just the financial impact that is the concern.
"It is not just about the tourism economy. It is not a safe and sustainable position to keep putting these out on the coast... if people using the chalets are being put at risk because of more frequent adverse weather," she said.
HUTS HAMPERED
Elsewhere along the coast, Great Yarmouth Borough Council is facing its own beach hut woes.
There are plans to build 43 of them as part of efforts to regenerate the north promenade but nearly a year after the project was expected to be completed, there are still no signs of them.
And it is now over budget by £200,000.
Carl Smith, leader of GYBC, has said they are on their way but will not be ready for this summer's season, adding they will become an "important revenue stream".
While in Lowestoft, East Suffolk Council's £3.5m Eastern Edge project faced a lack of interest from the public, with several huts left empty after the first year of opening in 2023.
SWEPT AWAY
Perched along Norfolk's coastline, beach huts frequently bear the brunt of stormy weather.
Several huts were blown off Gorleston promenade in 1969 before being washed back upon the beach.
The devastating storm surges of 2007 and 2013 caused havoc across the county but it was north Norfolk that bore the brunt of the damage, with the high winds and ferocious waves leaving huts in Cromer and Sheringham smashed into splinters.
Cromer's landmark pier was also badly damaged.
More recently in 2019, huts in Pakefield and Overstrand were blown over, leaving them in need of repairs.
'QUINTESSENTIALLY BRITISH'
Beach huts began to appear 250 years ago amid the rise of Victorian seaside resorts in the 19th century.
Originally they were on wheels and known as "bathing machines" offering privacy for people wanting to take a dip in the sea in their swimming costumes.
Later, the wheels came off and they have remained popular to this day with holidaymakers.
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