A WOODEN beach hut is up for sale for £50,000 - but the new owner can only have it for 16 years before giving it back.

The 11ft by 7ft timber cabin at Alum Chine beach in Bournemouth has a lease that runs until 2034 when the occupiers are expected to "yield up the premises".

It means whoever buys the beach hut will pay out £3,750 a year plus £900 annual council fees for the next 16 years with nothing to show for it at the end.

Despite the seemingly bad deal there is no shortage in interest in the hut and the estate agents selling it don't expect it to hang around for long due to its sought after location

The hut has no electricity or water and there is nothing inside except some built-in low and high-level storage cupboards. The owners are not allowed to use the huts between midnight and 6am.

Owners are allowed a small gas canister for cooking or boiling water and there are public toilets nearby as well as a communal fresh water tap.

Many of Bournemouth's beach huts are owned by the council and the cluster of 40 privately-leased ones at Alum Chine rarely come on the market.

The Blue Flag beach is popular with families as it has a paddling pool and large adventure playground.

Dominic Allen, from estate agents Goadsby, said: "The beach huts at Alum Chine are mostly owned by the council and rented out so the private ones coming up for sale are few and far between.

"Most of them only ever come up for rent after a long wait on a waiting list and Alum Chine is one of the most sought-after beaches in the area so this is a rare opportunity.

"This hut is situated opposite Vesuvio restaurant and has lovely views from Sandbanks and the Purbeck across to the Isle of Wight.

"They generally have 25-year leases but this one has 16 years left on its lease.

"The current owners have had it for about four years and are only selling because they managed to buy another one at a different beach that is closer to their home.

"The main reason people are willing to pay good money for beach huts is because it's the quintessential British summer symbol.

"Interest has already been very high and I don't anticipate it being available for long."

A spokesman for Bournemouth Borough Council confirmed the hut must be returned at the end of the lease.

He said: "The lease is for 25 years and there is no security of tenure. Tenants yield up the premises at the end of the tenancy."

Although the price might seem a lot it is some way off the hugely expensive beach huts at Mudeford Spit in Christchurch.

Huts on the exclusive sandbank now sell for almost £300,000, but they are twice the size, can sleep up to six people and have power from solar panels and their own kitchens.

They are also a solid investment as they aren't likely to go down in value.

The Alum Chine beach hut can be viewed at www.goadsby.com/property/residential/alum-chine/bournemouth/bh4/862718/