SHOPPERS have been making the most of the festive sales on the high street, but there are no such bargains in certain areas of the housing market as the most expensive beach hut in Britain has just been sold in Christchurch.

The hut on Mudeford Spit sold close to its asking price of £295,000 in the first few days of 2018.

Last summer, a beach hut went on the market for £280,000, which at the time was reported as the most expensive in the country.

However, the sale by Slades Estate Agents in Christchurch has surpassed this fee.

For the same price as the purchase of the hut, which can sleep five “comfortably”, you could buy a six bed terraced house in Southport or a three bed detached house with a large garden in Lincoln – with some spare change.

Miles Tarpey, partner at Slades, said: “The beach huts are unusual in that you can sleep in them overnight. Ultimately this is what makes the price higher.

“There are other parts of the country where you can get beach huts with sleeping facilities, but with the brilliant views of the Isle of Wight and of the harbour, the location stands out as a real beauty spot.

“It’s the highest price I have heard of, obviously there is the potential for a hut to be sold privately which we would not know about.

“We could probably have sold this one three or four times.

“Now it has left us with people waiting for the right hut for them to become available.

“This one was popular because it fronted onto the beach and there are some locations people look for.

“Some prefer to have the view of the Needles, others want to be nearer the harbour because they have a boat and some want to be nearer the Black House as it is more secluded.”

The record breaking hut includes a mezzanine level which sleeps three people, with a pull out bed below.

The hut’s lighting is provided by solar power, with panels on the roof, a cooker runs on calor gas bottles and a fridge freezer can be run using solar systems or gas.

Water is provided from a standpipe, while communal shower facilities are located in a nearby block. The sandbank can only be accessed by a 20 minute walk, by novelty land train or by ferry.

There are around 350 huts on the sandspit and Mr Tarpey said the huts, some of which have been in the same families for decades, have always held a high value.

He said: “They have always been expensive for the time.

“If you are looking to buy a holiday retreat in bricks and mortar to sleep four or five people you are looking at a lot more money than the cost of the beach hut. With these huts you have such an amazing location and the prices are probably going to continue to rise.”