I don’t want to be a spoilsport but a few simple steps may protect your beach hut from becoming a victim of crime. Your beach hut is your retreat and your place to relax and get away from it all, but as you cannot be at your hut 24 hours a day, it can make it prone to vandalism or a break-in.
Protect your beach hut
Make sure your beach hut is secure as possible, particularly windows and doors. An easily opened door will attract burglars, criminal damage and arson.
Use good quality padlocks, to the top and bottom of the doors to even out the security. There is a vast range available, try to buy some with weatherproof casings or marine quality. Also, padlocks with closed shackles help reduce the risk of them being forced. You can also buy padlocks made to open on the same key, so if you have more than one padlock on your hut, it makes it more convenient. We have a massive range of padlocks here at The Standfast Security Centre in Margate.
Maintain your beach hut
A beach hut that looks uncared for is probably more likely to attract crime; local police experience and statistics support this. I am sure you’ll agree they do look so summery all painted and cared for.
Remove valuables at night
A beach hut will never be secure enough to keep valuables safe overnight. So make sure you remove them and any combustibles, such as gas canisters and matches that may be an obvious fire hazard.
If you do have to leave items inside, make sure you mark your property, with your postcode and house number.
Be a good neighbour, keep a regular eye on your neighbour’s beach hut, and not just to see if they have more bunting up than you! Seriously, report any damage as soon as possible to your Council Foreshore office or if it’s your own hut report it to the Police.
Fire safety
Arson is not uncommon where beach huts are concerned, given their construction, location and proximity to one another. Remember that a well-maintained one is a less likely target. Remove combustibles and take away rubbish left nearby that could be used as an ignition point. If you have a large space underneath, it may be worth boarding it up as this will make it difficult to ignite a fire under your hut.
