People queue for over 24 hours to secure beach huts on Avon Beach
They powered through the rain and cold
Last updated 4th Jan 2022
Dedicated staycationers queued for more than 24 hours in the cold and rain to book beach huts in Dorset for the summer.
Many camped overnight to secure the much sought-after 12 huts on Avon Beach in Christchurch.
The huts were not available to book until 8am on Monday, but staff arrived at the beach shop on Sunday morning at 7.30am to find several people already queuing.
The huts, which cost £3,570 to rent out for the year, are typically booked up within minutes of opening.
In total, there are 130 huts on Avon Beach, which is full of locals, tourists and sports enthusiasts in the summer.
This year, there were only 40 huts available at different periods of the year and just 12 up for grabs for the full summer holidays or the whole year.
Beach hut manager Laura Huxtable-White says demand is high. She said: "We've only got a certain amount of huts for the area, so people like to book early and know that they can plan the rest of their summer holidays."
During the pandemic, people have strayed away from booking international flights, either due to being cautious or because of various travel bans that were imposed at the time.
Staycations have become more popular as people are eager to go back to their old ways and experience pre-pandemic summer vacations.
Laura added: "I think people are still nervous about getting on flights, and let's face it, we have a lovely country. So why wouldn't people want to stay and have their holidays here?"