A HUMBLE beach hut has gone on the market for a record £300,000 despite having no mains electricity or toilet.

The timber cabin is on the exclusive Mudeford Spit in Christchurch, which is home to the most expensive huts in the country.

Huts there have previously sold for £280,000 but the one now for sale is the first that is tipped to break the £300,000 mark.

For the same price you could buy a new four-bed house in Hambleton, North Yorks, or a five-bed detached property with waterside views in Argyll, Scotland.

It is thought hut 475 can command the eye-watering price tag because it is last on a row of cabins which mean the new owners will have extra space to the side of it.

The hut measures about 18ft by 11ft and can sleep six people with a mezzanine floor that has room for two single mattresses and one double and a seating area that converts into a bed for two.

Lighting is provided by solar panels on the roof and the oven runs on gas bottles and a fridge powered by battery.

The kitchen has a sink with a tap but the water comes via a pump. For shower and toilet facilities the new owners will have to share a communal block.

The owners can only stay overnight from March to October.

The prices for beach huts in Mudeford have shot up by as much as £100,000 in the space of just six years, which is thought to have been driven by the increase in people holidaying at home.

As well as the steep purchase price, the new owners will also have to pay annual rates to Christchurch Borough Council of about £500 and a licence fee of about £2,500 a year.

Andy Denison, from Denisons estate agents, said: "This is the last hut before the headland so it's got a nice bit of space beside it and it's not cramped.

"It's a little bit individual.

"We've put this beach hut for offers in the region of £300,000.

"It was a joint decision between ourselves and the client in view of the popularity of the beach huts at Mudeford at the moment.

"The family have owned it for about 10 to 12 years but their kids aren't using it anymore and they've decided it's time to move on.

"The popularity of these beach huts doesn't seem to be waning at all," he added.